


Dating Across the Multiverse (Interactive Event)

by Vexatious



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swapfell, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Bonus Chapter Angst, Choose Your Own Adventure, Dating, Dating Sim with a Plot, Flirting, Kissing, Multi, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-05-13 20:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 47
Words: 37,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vexatious/pseuds/Vexatious
Summary: This is an ongoing interactive event onmy Tumblrwhere my followers get to choose what happens in the story. The story revolves around securing dates (and maybe a kiss) from a skeleton or a Snowdin bartender in the chosen AU. The entire work will span multiple rounds of Undertale or AU visits and does have an overall plot.





	1. The Anti-Void

You groan and roll over in your sleep. Your bed feels weird, and your blanket appears to be missing. You groggily open your eyes to solve the mystery-  _did you accidentally roll onto the floor in your sleep?_ \- but the sight that greets you only raises more questions.

You gaze upon an endless stark whiteness. Distance and direction are meaningless in the glaring expanse. The sterile, unfeeling brightness scorches your eyes, and you squint, trying to make out any sort of landmark in your surroundings. You think you’ve scouted in every direction, but it’s difficult to be sure. The vast empty anti-Void is very disorienting for newcomers.

You decide to start walking, though the first step is nerve-wracking considering that you can’t exactly tell where the “ground” is located. You lurch forward in an awkward shamble, hoping to find something soon before you go insane from the eerie white nothingness surrounding you.

* * *

Finally,  _finally_ , a dark blotch stains the horizon. At least you think it’s the horizon. It might be a deep pit or the middle of the sky. It’s pretty difficult to tell, but you stumble towards it anyway. Something is better than nothing.

Once you get closer to the mysterious dark spots, you realize they are rifts with jagged edges. The portals are large enough for you to pass through easily, and from what you can gather by standing right in front of one, each opening leads to a similar, nearly-but-not-quite identical snow-powdered forest. You inspect each one, comparing the differences.

The first one appears to be a standard pine trees and snow poffs forest with a path running perpendicular to the opening where you stand. You can easily step through the entryway right onto that path, but you hesitate, glancing to the rift next to it. 

This opening holds a mirror image of the first with slightly different tree species, still evergreens. The next opening has the original trees, but instead of cool blues, the whole area seems to be bathed in a faint reddish light. The last opening shows the second species of trees, but the shadows are darker. Even standing outside of it, you feel like you’re being watched.

**[ Enter the first rift (Undertale) ][ Enter the second rift (Underswap) ][ Enter the third rift (Underfell) ][ Enter the fourth rift (Swapfell) ]**


	2. Swapfell (Part 1)

**[ You decide to enter the fourth rift. ]**

You want to be careful though. You’re standing in an endless nothing, staring into what appears to be an interdimensional rift; you’re not just going to jump on in without making sure it’s relatively safe first. Unfortunately, you can’t lob a handful of the infinite whiteness through the rift. All you’re wearing is a t-shirt, pajama pants, and socks, and you aren’t going to strip down in the name of caution. You decide to take a risk and put your least favorite foot through the rift.

_Good luck, lefty._

Ever so slowly, you extend your left leg. Oddly enough, you can feel the cut-off point for the temperature drop about halfway up your calf. The weird nothingness has an almost non-temperature. It simply isn’t warm or cold enough to be noticeable. The temperature inside the rift is downright frigid. You can feel the tiny pinpricks of snowflakes landing on a narrow strip of exposed skin above your ankle.  _Yikes_.

_Better somewhere than nowhere though_ , you tell yourself. You take a deep breath and step through the rift into the snowy darkness, wishing desperately for daylight or warmth as melting snow soaks into your socks. You turn around to check that the rift is still open. It’s gone. You have no choice but to walk down the path in your very cold, very wet socks.

You shiver, peering left and right, squinting into the shadows to decide which direction most likely leads to civilization. You won’t survive long out here without some kind of shelter; you’re already shivering. You rub your arms, hoping to create some heat from friction or at least increase your circulation, but it does no good. You have to start moving.

To the left, the path appears to narrow. Trees line either side of it, and the needle-lined branches brush the ground, creating small alcoves that could hide anything. Further down the path, right before the inky shadows swallow it up entirely, you see a deadfall of thick tree limbs blocking the way.

To the right, the path widens, and at least some light (moonlight maybe?) is filtering down from above. You can barely make out what appears to be a clearing. The ground is covered in a layer of unbroken snow that almost glows a faint bluish-white. There’s no shelter, but there’s nowhere for a predator to hide either.

Suddenly, you hear the loud  _SNAP!_  of wood breaking to your left. Someone or something is lurking in the shadows of the deep forest, someone or something big enough, heavy enough, strong enough to snap those tree limbs like your fragile human bones.

**[ Investigate the sound (go left) ][ Stand your ground (stay here) ][ Run into the clearing (go right) ]**


	3. Swapfell (Part 2)

The noise might be something, or it might be nothing. You’re not exactly chock full of self-preservation instincts, so you seriously consider walking to the left just to see what made the noise. You did jump into a mysterious rift after being stranded in an expanse of infinite white after all. It’s not like you could make a worse decision than that, right?

_Or_ , you tell yourself,  _you could do better_! You could run away from whatever snapped one of those very thick, very solid branches. You could be the person in the horror movie who  _doesn’t_  get murdered with a chainsaw. You could be the lone, ridiculously good-looking dirt and blood smudged survivor!

You glance quickly over your shoulder at the clearing. Nothing could sneak up on you out in the open, but you can’t be sure that there’s solid ground under all that snow. What if it’s some sort of lake, and you fall through the ice? It’s bad enough that your socks are soaked through, and your feet are getting numb. You might very well be frozen to the spot where you’re standing.

**[ You decide to stand your ground. ]**

You shiver, narrowing your eyes in an attempt to pierce the darkness and find any form approaching, but you see nothing. You widen your stance and brace yourself. You’re ready to fight if it comes to it. You would probably look pretty brave if you weren’t shaking so badly. Maybe movement would’ve been a better choice.

“can’t believe you didn’t fall for that trick,” drawls a deep voice from somewhere above you. Startled, you crane your neck to see a lanky skeleton monster crouched on a thick tree limb at least ten feet above your head. You stare at him in shock. How long has he been up there?

He jumps down from his perch, landing in a similar crouch in the snow. He brushes himself off and gives you a cocky half-smile, flashing a gold fang in the subtle silvery light. “that’s no way to greet a new friend, darling,” he says, holding out a hand to you. You stare at his hand as if it’s a strange alien fungus sprouting from the end of his wrist, then you sneeze on him.

He takes in your shivering form and lack of shoes and appropriate sleeve length. Suddenly, the weight of his coat drops onto your shoulders. He faces away from you, still crouching. “guess our burgeoning friendship’ll have to wait until you get some proper shoes and clothes. hop on.”

He’s offering you, a complete stranger to him, a piggyback ride to… somewhere? You hesitate.

“aww, where are my manners? M’Lord would be appalled. i’m Papyrus, but you can call me Mutt.”

You tell him your name, but you don’t step forward just yet. “Where are we going?” you ask him.

“to meet up with my bro,” he replies as if it should have been obvious. “he’s always wanted to meet a human.”

**[ Take his jacket and run (Run) ][ Let him carry you to meet his brother (Meet Sans) ][ Let him carry you, but avoid his brother (Avoid Sans) ]**


	4. Swapfell (Part 3)

Papyrus, or Mutt as you’re already affectionately calling him in your thoughts, drums on his bony butt invitingly as he waits for you to make a move. You consider simply taking the warm, cozy jacket and making a run for it, but you’re not exactly fast at the best of times. With your soggy socks and half-frozen feet you doubt you can outrun the long-legged skeleton with the gold fang and the charming drawl.

Besides, he’s been nothing but kind and helpful to you, and you totally lack self-preservation instincts. The least you can do is meet his brother. You step forward, socks squishing unpleasantly in the snow, and take up a position right behind Mutt. He hooks his arms under your knees and lifts you onto his back as if you weigh nothing. You drape your arms loosely over his broad shoulders and lean into him. The fabric of his sweater is soft, and his body radiates a surprising amount of heat. He smells like spices and wood smoke, delicious. You could almost fall asleep cuddled up to him like this…

**[ You let him carry you to meet his brother. ]**

“Let’s go meet your brother,” you say enthusiastically. A chuckle vibrates through his lanky frame, causing you to have some misgivings, but it’s too late to change your mind.

“hold on tight, darlin’,” he instructs before setting off at a distance-eating lope, sneakers crunching snow and twigs beneath them. Mutt skirts the clearing, circling along the edge instead of travelling straight across. “good thing you didn’t keep going. this clearing is prime real estate for traps and ambushes, and any other monster would’ve killed you on sight,” he explains as if he’s merely commenting on the weather, not the dangerous nature of the forest and its inhabitants.

Mutt rounds a corner, and you spot a short skeleton in black and gold battle armor, black cutoff shorts, and knee high, spike heeled boots. You guess that this must be Mutt’s brother, but he looks anything but easy-going with his hands on his hips. The moment Mutt comes into view, the smaller skeleton begins to shout at him.

“MUTT, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LEAVING YOUR SENTRY POST? I HAD NO IDEA WHERE YOU WERE! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU? I’D HAVE NO WAY OF-” the sight of you stalls his tirade in its tracks. You can almost feel the glowing purple eyelights scorching you with their intense focus. “-IS THAT A HUMAN?”

“no, m’Lord, that’s my jacket,” Mutt deadpans.

“NO, YOU BOOB! THERE’S A HUMAN  _IN YOUR JACKET_!”

“is there?” Mutt responds with mild surprise.

Rolling his eyelights, the short skeleton bounds over to you, striking a noble pose before addressing you directly. “HUMAN, PREPARE TO BE CAPTURED BY THE MAGNIFICENT AND POWERFUL SANS!” His eyelights fall to your feet with their glaring lack of shoes. He steps back, taking in your entire outfit, an ensemble that screams impending hypothermia. Sans frowns. “HOW CAN I BE EXPECTED TO CAPTURE THIS HUMAN WHEN THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE PROPER ATTIRE FOR THE CHASE?” he grumbles.

“there are boots in the sentry station,” Mutt mentions helpfully. He carries you over to the shoddily built hutch that you only now notice because it’s mostly buried in snow. He sets you down on the sill and reaches inside to grab some very comfortable-looking boots. He helps you peel off your stiff, ice rimed socks and slides the boot on your feet. They’re warm, lined with sherpa, and well-cushioned.

You stand on your own two feet once more in the snow. This time you have Mutt’s jacket and a pair of weather appropriate boots. You look between the two skeletons.

“EXCELLENT! NOW YOU’RE READY TO FACE MY PUZZLES AND TRAPS! IF YOU CAN BEST ME IN DEADLY GAMES OF TACTICS AND STRATEGY, YOU MAY GO ABOUT YOUR MERRY WAY, BUT IF I DEFEAT YOU, YOU MUST SURRENDER TO ME!” Despite his ominous words, Sans is nearly bouncing on his heels with childlike exuberance.

Mutt leans down and whispers to you: “m’Lord truly enjoys showing off his puzzles and traps. he won’t allow you to be harmed though. he just wants to prove once and for all that he’s worthy of the title of Royal Guard Captain by capturing a real human.”

He raises his voice and aims his next words at Sans. “m’Lord, the human may need to recuperate before engaging in such a challenge. maybe i should take them to Snowdin to get some rest before you show them your traps?”

Both of the skeletons stare at you with curious expressions.

**[ Go to Snowdin Town with Mutt (Stay with Mutt) ][ Follow Sans so he can show you his puzzles and traps (Stay with Sans) ][ Try to run away with the jacket _and_  the boots (Run) ]**


	5. Swapfell (Part 4)

Sans’ energy is contagious, but you simply cannot stop shivering. You doubt you’d be any good at solving puzzles or surviving even the most non-lethal of traps without getting warmed up first. Hopefully Sans won’t mind you taking a raincheck (or is it a snowcheck?) on his traps.

**[ You decide to go to Snowdin Town with Mutt. ]**

“I don’t think I could do your traps justice without getting warmed up properly first,” you say reluctantly. Sans appears crestfallen for a moment, but he shakes it off quickly.

“A WISE DECISION!” He nods to you before turning to his brother. “DON’T LET OUR HUMAN OUT OF YOUR SIGHT, MUTT. I DON’T TRUST SOME OF THE MONSTERS IN TOWN.”

“of course, m’Lord,” Mutt drawls, throwing a companionable arm around your waist. Sans unties the red bandana he wears around his neck and hands it to you.

“KEEP THIS TOKEN WITH YOU IN CASE YOU GET SEPARATED FROM MY BROTHER. EVERY MONSTER IN SNOWDIN KNOWS IT BELONGS TO ME, AND THEY’LL THINK TWICE BEFORE LAYING AN APPENDAGE ON YOU.”

You take the bandana and tuck it into the jacket.

“I’D BETTER GO RECALIBRATE MY TRAPS FOR YOUR RETURN!” Sans dashes off into the woods, mumbling to himself about fire hazards and spring-loaded spikes. You wonder if you’ll regret offering to come back.

“c’mon, darlin’,” Mutt says, guiding you down the snowy path towards town. You feel the weight of hostile eyes watching you, but every time you try to catch a glimpse of them, all you see are shadows within shadows. You ask Mutt if there are other monsters hiding in the woods, and he nods absently, eyelights sweeping left and right.

You don’t encounter another living creature until you enter Snowdin Town. Monsters of all shapes and sizes lean casually against buildings or slink surreptitiously down the main thoroughfare. You ask Mutt why so many monsters are out and about so late at night and he laughs uproariously.

“we’re Underground, darlin’. this is as light as it gets.” You plan to be inside before dark. You don’t want to trapped in pitch black darkness with some of the unsavory creatures currently walking the streets.

You survey the town as you walk, taking in your surroundings with a curiosity you likely wouldn’t be feeling without the safety of Mutt’s hand on your lower back and Sans’ scarf stashed in your jacket. There’s an Inn with a scorched front door, a suspicious potion shop, and a building with a sign next to it that says “Information.” As Mutt strides confidently down the street with you by his side, monsters crane their necks to stare at you. You begin to feel uncomfortable from all of the attention.

Mutt stops you in between two buildings. One is a manor house with darkened windows. The other is a bustling, noisy bar with a placard that reads “Muffet’s” above the door.

Mutt points to the house. “that’s where me ‘n Sans live,” he explains, before turning to the bar next door. “‘n that’s Muffet’s. best food ‘n Spider Cider in town. so what’ll it be darlin’? eat or sleep?”

**[ Enter the skeleton brothers’ house (Sleep) ][ Enter Muffet’s Bar (Eat) ][ Go back to Sans and try his traps and puzzles (Leave Snowdin) ]**


	6. Swapfell (Part 5)

You’re exhausted; there’s no denying that. Still, you feel like it might be a bit early to just go into someone’s home and spend the night with them. Not that you’re worried about Mutt’s intentions; you just want to get to know him a bit better first. Besides, the thought of food has awakened a yawning chasm of hunger in your stomach, and the warm light spilling from the bar windows looks inviting.

And you can always lean against Mutt if you get tired…

You just hope the Spider Cider is a kitschy nickname and not made of actual spiders.

**[ You tell Mutt you’d like to go to Muffet’s Bar and get something to eat. ]**

Mutt keeps his arm around you, gently leading you forward. “stay close to me, darlin’,” he instructs you. “the food’s delicious, but the regulars are a bit unsavory.” You smile wanly, enjoying the joke but worrying about the questionable safety of the venture.

The moment you step through the door, you feel like you’ve entered a surreal world. The air is thick with tension, and the monsters within converse in low growls. Everywhere you look you see intimidating glares, daunting scars, and sharp teeth. A pack of dog monsters occupying a large table near the door start to rise from their seats, growling and muttering about a human in their midst.

Mutt quickly tucks you behind him, turning on the dog monsters with a throaty growl of his own. You can see deep orange magic wisping from his eye. Every single monster in the bar immediately goes back to minding their own business. It’s clear they don’t want to challenge Mutt. You run your finger over the bandana, reminding yourself that you have more than one protector looking out for you.

The situation is further diffused when the bartender catches sight of Mutt.

“Papyrus!” a lovely spider monster with lilac skin and five beautiful shiny black eyes calls out from behind the counter. One pair of hands wipes down the counter while another shakes a drink and pours it into a tumbler over ice. “Is that lovely creature with you a human?”

Lovely creature? You blush, hoping it’s not too noticeable under the warm tones of the overhead lights. Muffet slides the drink she poured across the bar to a red bird monster with a viciously hooked beak.

“sure is,” replies Mutt coolly, steering you away from the counter and into the leather cushioned bench seat of a booth. He slides in next to you, putting his body between you and the other monsters in the room. He doesn’t crowd you, but he makes sure you feel safe. Muffet approaches with a notebook to take your order.

“Pretty bold of you to parade a human through town, ahuhuhu.” Muffet’s laugh is melodic and charming. You’re absolutely mesmerized by the impeccably dressed, soft-spoken spider monster. “Fortunately for you, I don’t allow my patrons to harm such an honored guest in my establishment,” she says to you, giving you a saucy, two-eyed wink.

“So tell me, dearies, what can I get for you?”

“Spider Cider and the daily special times two,” Mutt orders, holding up two slim phalanges and wiggling them to accentuate his words. “just put it on my tab.”

“You know, Papyrus, the point of a tab is that you eventually pay it. It’s a good thing you only ever order the food here and not some expensive contraband, or I might have to send my darling pet to collect your debt, ahuhuhu.”

“what can i say? i can’t resist your cooking or your charm.”

“Well, this meal will be compliments of the house for the human, of course.” Your blush deepens. Muffet seems to have taken a liking to you. “I must know,” she asks you, “how do you feel about spiders?”

**[ Tell Muffet you’ve recently taken a liking to them (Flirt with Muffet) ][ Tell her spiders are lovely, but you prefer canines (Flirt with Mutt) ][ Tell Muffet that you’re honestly a bit scared of spiders (Do not flirt) ]**


	7. Swapfell (Part 6)

Even if Muffet hadn’t offered you a free meal and several compliments, you’d never tell such a charming spider lady that you disliked spiders to her face in her own establishment. Her delicate features and easy kindness simply couldn’t compare to a certain lanky skeleton sitting next to you though.

**[ You tell Muffet that spiders are lovely, but you prefer canines. ]**

You deliver your verdict with a cheeky wink at Mutt and an apologetic grin to Muffet for choosing to flirt with him instead of her. As for Mutt, his cheekbones have taken on a deep orange hue, and his eyelights are coyly diverted. Your flirtation has flustered him. Success! He scoots a little closer to you until your hips are almost touching.

“Ahuhuhu, who doesn’t,” laughs Muffet. “You’re welcome here anytime, dearie, and if you ever need some help, don’t hesitate to call upon my spider subjects to assist you.” Muffet hands you a small whistle with a black spider embossed on it. You place it into your pocket next to Sans’ bandana as she strolls away to prepare your food.

When your hand finds its way out of your pocket, there is another hand, a skeletal hand, there to capture it. Mutt holds your hand casually under the table, still avoiding eye contact. As conversation picks back up around the bar, he speaks softly to you.

“if i knew you felt that way, i woulda taken you somewhere fancier… or at least paid for your food, darlin’.” The blush on his face is glowing faintly. He finally meets your eyes, and his burnt orange eyelights look soft and warm. He stares at you like he’s seeing the stars for the very first time, and he stays like that until your food arrives.

Steam rises from a burger and a mountain of french fries. You are pleased to discover that the Spider Cider isn’t made of arachnids at all! It’s a warm spiced beverage that warms you down to your SOUL. You dig into your food with gusto. Mutt pours an obscene amount of barbecue sauce onto his burger (bun and all!) and fries before following your lead.

Everything is delicious! You even dare to dip one of your fries into the BBQ sauce, which turns out to be just as smoky and spicy as the skeleton monster liberally spreading it over his entire meal. When he sees that you enjoy it, he dips another of your fries into the sea of sauce and feeds it to you. You’re pretty sure that your blush is rivalling his by now.

By the time the food and drinks are finished, you’re nearly drifting off to sleep, leaning against Mutt’s supportive frame. His arm is around you, and he chuckles as your eyelids droop. “i think we need to get you to a bed before you doze off here in the booth,” he murmurs. You nod sleepily.

Mutt lifts you up bridal style and carries you towards the door. You wave to Muffet over his shoulder, and she waves three hands back at you. You’d like to come back someday and spend some time getting to know the spider lady better, but not tonight. You are beyond ready for bed.

Mutt carries you to his house, kicking the door open with a bang. Sans stands in the middle of the living room, hands braced on his hips, ladle in one of them, blocking your path.

“DID YOU LET THE HUMAN EAT THAT HORRIBLE GREASY FOOD AT MUFFET’S? I MADE DINNER!”

A sheepish grin spreads across Mutt’s face, providing all the answer Sans needs. “our human is exhausted, m’Lord. where shall we have them sleep? my room is available of course, but it’s a tad… unkempt.”

“I ARRANGED A PROPER HOLDING CELL IN THE SHED FOR HUMANS IF WE EVER CAUGHT ONE,” Sans brags, “BUT SINCE THIS HUMAN IS A GUEST, I SUPPOSE I’LL MAKE MY ROOM AVAILABLE AS AN OPTION AS WELL.”

**[ Ask to sleep in Mutt’s room (Stay with Mutt) ][ Ask to sleep in Sans’ room (Go with Sans) ][ Offer to sleep in the shed (Sleep in the shed) ]**


	8. Swapfell (Part 7)

You can see that the skeleton brothers have a perfectly good couch. You stare at it for a long moment wondering why it wasn’t offered. Is there something wrong with it? Does it smell? Is it rude to go sniff someone’s couch? They could even push the couch back and do a slumber party style snuggle puddle on the floor. You must have had a glazed over expression on your face because Mutt and Sans are both staring at you, and they appear to be concerned.

You are reluctant to accept Mutt’s invitation because a messy room really isn’t your idea of a good time, but it seems so unfair for Mutt to spend so much time taking care of you (and even carrying you around) to just leave him in the dust so that you can enjoy Sans’ room which you assume is as pristine and opulent as the skeleton himself. Maybe you should avoid playing favorites at all and just sleep in the prison shed?

But you can’t bring yourself to leave Mutt just yet.

**[ You ask to sleep in Mutt’s room. ]**

The words don’t even come out of your mouth clear and crisp as you intended; they’re more of a garbled groan caught up in a yawn. Fortunately, Mutt speaks the romantic language of sleepiness.

“my room it is then, darlin’.”

Mutt carries you up the stairs, and you see Sans standing alone in the living room, trying to be stoic and failing miserably as his entire demeanor goes from confident to defeated before your tired eyes.

Mutt points out Sans’ room to you, just down the hall from his. There’s warning tape and danger signs all over the door. When you get to the door of Mutt’s room, there’s a single sign that says “Beware of Dog.” Someone (probably Mutt himself) has doodled a picture of the gold-fanged skeleton with floppy dog ears onto the sign with the caption “woof,” and you can’t help but smile.

Your smile disappears when you see the state of Mutt’s room though.

You’d be impressed with the amount of clothing he owned if it wasn’t strewn about the floor in a series of foothills and valleys. You’re not even sure which pile of blankets is his bed, and you’re not certain that you dare to ask.

A yawning black hole looms in one corner of the room and there is literal garbage orbiting it like a miniature solar system of filth. You fear that the quicksand nature of his messy room might swallow you up, and you’ll never be heard from again.

“make yourself at home,” Mutt says, setting you down on a tiny oasis of bare floor. Making yourself at home would involve at least a solid week of deep cleaning, so you simply stand still while Mutt “tidies up,” revealing a mattress (thankfully unstained) and a pile of plump pillows and thick blankets in the middle of the room. He picks up a few random pillows and blankets that are quite worn and obviously much loved and uses them to build a makeshift bed in front of the door for himself. When he catches you watching him he says “for safety purposes.”

You take off your boots and make yourself comfortable in Mutt’s bed while he stretches out on the floor. Before he turns off the light, he addresses you in a somber tone.

“it’s been a long time since i had someone to protect and care for- since Sans was a babybones actually. i never realized how much i missed it until i met you.” His drawl is soft and genuine; his words, heartfelt. You absolutely melt.

“Thank you for taking care of me.” You hope your blush isn’t too obvious, but from the burning sensation on your face, you suspect that it is standing out like a beacon.

“i shoulda bought you dinner while we were at Muffet’s. maybe i can make it up to you by taking you on a picnic in Waterfall tomorrow?” He pauses for a long moment before tentatively adding: “as a date?”

He lets the question hang in the air between you.

**[ Tell Mutt you’d be delighted to go on a picnic with him as a date (Date Mutt) ][ Tell Mutt you’d be delighted to go on a picnic with him as friends (Stay Friends with Mutt ][ Tell Mutt you’d rather spend some time with Sans tomorrow (Attempt to Date Sans) ][ Tell Mutt you’d rather spend some time with Muffet tomorrow (Attempt to Date Muffet) ]**


	9. Swapfell (Part 8)

You put some serious thought into your answer with the image of Sans’ crestfallen face haunting your mind. It’s obvious that the shorter skeleton likes you. He made you dinner, adjusted his traps for you, and gave you his bandana to ensure your safety. You definitely don’t want to hurt his feelings… but you can’t resist Mutt. Maybe the two of you could spend some time with Sans after the date.

**[ You tell Mutt that you’d be delighted to go on a picnic date with him. ]**

Mutt wiggles like a happy puppy. If he had a tail, it would be wagging out of control, but you don’t have time to admire Mutt’s silly display because you hear an undignified squawk of “WHAT?!” from right outside Mutt’s bedroom door.

Mutt opens the door, and Sans stumbles into the room, looking thoroughly disgusted at the mess and brushing himself off even though nothing actually touched him. He sees you and Mutt staring at him and feels the need to explain himself before anyone even asks him what he was doing lurking in the hallway outside of his brother’s room.

“I WASN’T EAVESDROPPING IF THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE BOTH THINKING!” he insists. “I WAS… UH… SECURING THE PERIMETER! YES, THAT’S RIGHT!” He sounds as if he’s convinced himself, putting his balled up fists on his hips and puffing his chest out in pride at being such a diligent protector.

“and is the perimeter secure m’Lord?” Mutt asks innocently.

“OF COURSE IT IS, BUT JUST IN CASE, I, THE MAGNIFICENT AND DANGEROUS SANS, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SHALL TAKE UP A POSITION OUTSIDE THE DOOR TO ENSURE ITS CONTINUED SAFETY! FETCH MY FIELD KIT, MUTT!” Sans orders, and Mutt lopes away in easy obedience to bring Sans the items he needs to set up camp in the hallway.

As soon as Mutt is out of sight (and presumably hearing range), Sans turns on you with narrowed sockets. You wonder if he’s going to plead his case for some one-on-one time with you, but instead, he talks about his brother in hushed tones.

“Papyrus may be popular, but he doesn’t date. In the Underground, you can’t just trust people like that. It’s only been me and Papyrus since I was a babybones because the second you turn your back on someone, they stab it.”  He gives his words a moment to sink in before continuing. “As for me, I don’t really have friends… Not because nobody likes me or anything, mind you. I just have very high standards. I’d love to be able to count you as a friend, human, but first I have a little warning.”

Sans’ eyelights began to glow deep violet with thin wisps of magic like smoke rising from each socket. “I may not have friends, but I don’t have enemies either because they’re all dust scattered across the Underground. If you betray my brother and hurt him, I will find you, and you will have a Very. Bad. Time. Understand?”

You gulp and nod quickly. Not that you would ever intentionally hurt Mutt, but his brother is downright terrifying when it comes to their brotherly bond. Mutt taps the doorframe, holding up a sleeping bag and lantern.

“your field kit, m’Lord.” Mutt bows slightly.

“EXCELLENT,” says Sans in his regular voice, patting Mutt’s skull affectionately. He glances back over his shoulder at you. “GOOD TALK, HUMAN.”

The door is closed on the shorter skeleton unrolling his sleeping bag in the hallway. Mutt goes back to curling up in his blanket with a soft smile gracing his features. You’re sure you won’t be able to sleep at all, but as soon as you settle into the bed and close your eyes, you sink into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next morning you only awaken when Mutt begins shuffling around his room. You yawn and stretch, opening your eyes to see the lanky skeleton, still smiling, standing in the open doorway like he’s been waiting for you to accompany him before leaving the room. He holds out a hand to you and helps you up off of the mattress. You grab your boots and scurry out the door and down the stairs in Mutt’s wake. Once again, Sans is blocking the way in the living room, but this time he’s holding up a picnic basket.

“I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF PACKING THIS FOR YOU WHILE YOU SLEPT THE DAY AWAY, MUTT,” he scolds.

“thank you, m’lord.”

You pull on your boots as Mutt and Sans lean in close to discuss your plans for the day. Sans gives Mutt plenty of warnings about keeping you safe, and Mutt nods along with an occasional “yes m’Lord” thrown in.

Mutt hands you his jacket to wear, and you finally leave the house for the crisp air of Snowdin. As Mutt mentioned the night before, the ambient light isn’t any brighter or dimmer than it was when you arrived. It’s a bit unnerving. As you and Mutt walk up a roadway leading to the north, he folds his hand around yours. Even if you didn’t have his jacket, you’re sure your blush would keep you warm.

“we can take the scenic route to Waterfall, but it’s a little more dangerous,” he tells you, “or i could teleport us to my favorite spot. you won’t see as much of Waterfall, but it’s safer.”

**[ Take the scenic route (Walk) ][ Take the safe route (Teleport) ]**


	10. Swapfell (Part 9)

The scenic route sounds incredibly tempting. The thought of strolling through Waterfall with a big strong skeleton to protect you is a bit more appealing than it should be. Unfortunately, you’re a fleshy human who bleeds when injured, and you don’t want to put Mutt at risk trying to keep all of the blood in your body and squishy human flesh on your bones. Besides, maybe the time you save teleporting could be spent finally checking out Sans’ traps later. You genuinely want Mutt’s brother to be happy too, and it hurts your heart to know he doesn’t have friends.

**[ You tell Mutt you’d prefer to teleport. ]**

He pulls you close to his body. “hold on tight, darlin’,” he instructs you. For safety purposes and totally not because you want to hug Mutt for hours, days even, you wrap your arms around him, sneakily nuzzling your face into his soft sweater with its smoky, spicy scent.

Mutt’s got a strong arm around the small of your back, so when the feeling of vertigo hits, you know that you’re safe. For a disorienting moment there’s nothing; your five senses are entirely useless. It ends quickly though, and when your vision returns, the sight of your surroundings takes your breath away.

Everything around you is soothing shades of blue, ranging from the velvety dark navy of the cavern ceiling spattered with starlike chips of mica to the glowing neon blue of nearby flowers, and every imaginable blue in between. Multiple small waterfalls and a quick-flowing stream provide the tinkling music of moving water as a backdrop to the wonder all around you.

You don’t even realize that you’re standing there, clinging to Mutt and staring at the environment around you with your mouth hanging open in awe until you hear Mutt’s rich drawl bringing you back to the reality of the moment.

“this is my favorite place to unwind. pretty  _wonder-fall_ , isn’t it?” Mutt, the cheeky devil, winks outrageously and flirtatiously at you. Dating Mutt is one decision you will never regret.

He sets the picnic basket down, and you reluctantly release him so that he can get the picnic set up properly. It seems that Sans went all out. Not only did he pack a picnic blanket for you and Mutt to sit on, but he threw in a few small cylindrical pillow for extra comfort. While Mutt lays out the food, you walk over to one of the flowers to inspect it. The blossom is huge, and the glow provides perfect lighting for a romantic luncheon.

“Pretty,” you murmur to the flower.

“Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!” the flowers around you chorus in a perfect imitation of your voice.

“those Echo Flowers have excellent taste,” comments Mutt, “but this is my date, and I don’t share with plants.” He approaches you, taking your hand and guiding you over to the picnic he’s set up. He gently lowers you onto the blanket, and you finally get a chance to see the gourmet spread that Sans packed for the two of you.

“Wow,” you murmur. There’s an absolute smorgasbord, including a spinach and berry salad with what you assume is homemade vinaigrette, bite-sized sandwiches with a variety of fillings, thin-cut fried vegetable chips sprinkled with a to-die-for (but hopefully not) seasoning blend, and even miniature fruit tarts for dessert!

“m’Lord is an excellent chef. he honed his skills the moment we could afford decent ingredients. we didn’t have much growing up, and m’Lord works hard every day to make sure we never want for anything.” Mutt speaks of his brother reverently, and you’re even more determined to spend some time with Sans after the date. You consider Mutt’s words to be the pre-meal blessing, and both of you dig in. The food is delicious!

After you eat, you lay back, side by side, on the pillows, holding hands and taking in the ambience, staring up at the pretend sky and its dazzling stars. You sigh happily.

“enjoying the date, darlin’?” Mutt asks.

You sit up, and Mutt follows suit. You turn to him with a shy smile only to find that he is staring at you rather intensely. His deep orange eyelights are burning with something… something incredibly alluring.

“Well, there is one thing-” you start to say. You planned on telling Mutt that there seemed to be something missing from the date, making your own attempt to be flirtatious, but he interrupts you.

“you’ve got a little something… right here…” Mutt’s voice is a sultry rumble, and all of your other thoughts melt away as he reaches out and brushes a tart crumb off of your cheek with his thumb. You find yourself leaning into him. His sockets are half-lidded, and he moves a bit closer as well.

**[ Kiss Mutt (Act) ][ Wait for Mutt to kiss you (Wait) ][ Move away and tell Mutt you aren’t ready for kissing yet (Flee) ]**


	11. Swapfell (Finale: Return to the Anti-Void)

The bones of Mutt’s hand are smooth and warm against your cheek as he tilts your head slightly. He’s taking his time moving in for the kiss, giving you ample opportunities to push him away or say no. You don’t plan on turning back though. Instead you carpe that diem. You close your eyes and ACT.

**[ You lean in and press your lips to Mutt’s mouth. ]**

At first, he doesn’t react. He doesn’t move or make a sound. You’ve absolutely stunned him by taking control of the date, but the tall skeleton won’t be outdone by your boldness; he kisses you right back. You aren’t sure what you expected, but he’s really quite good at it.

Mutt cradles your cheek in one strong hand, moving the other to the small of your back to keep you from swooning, an action which you seriously consider as you feel his breath brush against your lips. His gold fang is cool in contrast to his body heat, and the very tip of it scrapes sensually along the edge of your bottom lip.

You gasp slightly as he dips you backwards, supporting you easily in his arms. He never stops being a gentleman though, giving you a moment to recover your senses before his faintly glowing orange tongue tastes your lips, asking ever so politely for more without Mutt ever saying a word.

You’ve gone this far, so you part your lips and extend your tongue to meet his. He tastes like spice and woodsmoke, a tangy sweet heat that sinks straight down into your stomach and turns into a million butterflies. Mutt strokes the inside of your mouth expertly, flicking his tongue lightly against yours before withdrawing.

When you finally open your eyes, you can see the rapid rise and fall of his ribcage under his sweater. You’re panting a bit yourself. Mutt throws you a sidelong glance, eyelights glimmering with what appears to be a deep and primal hunger that he won’t allow himself to satisfy.

His entire posture closes in on itself as the silence lengthens, as if he expects you to yell or run away. Is he awaiting your praise? Hoping you’ll kiss him again? Ashamed that he got even the slightest bit carried away? You rush to find words to set his mind at ease.

“Mutt, I-”

Everything goes white so quickly that you would’ve been afraid you’d gone blind if you remembered a single thing that happened since you entered the fourth portal.

But you don’t.

You sit in the endless white nothing around you, blinking in confusion, trying to figure out how to orient your body to stand upright. Did something happen? Where are you?

Your stomach drops with a sickening feeling of deja vu, but you’re sure you’ve never seen anything like this barren bleach-scorched landscape before.

Before…

Before what?

You don’t remember. You’re not even sure there was a “Before.”

You’re swept up in the sensation that you’re supposed to be doing something, but what? What is there to do here? You swivel your head left and right frantically as the need to move, to act spurs you forward.

There.  An immeasurable distance away, you can just barely make out specks on the… horizon? Ground? Sky? Are they tiny pinpricks in the eerie bright expanse, or something larger and far away? Why do you feel drawn to them, like you’ve done this particular lurch-run-stumble towards them before?

When you finally reach the dark blots, you discover that they are rifts, torn into the fabric of reality, or perhaps non-reality, whatever this unbearable stark whiteness is. Each rift is large enough for you to step into, and you can clearly see what’s on the other side of them. Gusts of cold air drift into the non-temperature of the air around you, but your jacket keeps the icy fingers of the snow-covered landscapes within the rifts at bay.

One rift looks like a normal path in a normal evergreen forest, dusted with snow and kissed by twilight. The next rift is almost identical, except it contains a different type of tree. The third rift has the same type of trees as the first, but the dimly lit sky is tinged faintly with red.

There’s something missing… but you can’t tell what. A memory dances through your mind just out of reach. Should there be a fourth rift? Ridiculous. You’ve never seen anything like this in your entire life! How would you know what’s supposed to be here?

Still, you can’t just stand frozen to this spot in the endless non-abyss forever, staring at portals into the unknown. At least the woodland paths seem to go somewhere, and you’ve got your jacket and boots to ward off the snow and cold…

If you decide to enter one of the portals though, which one should you choose?

**[ Enter the first rift (Undertale) ][ Enter the second rift (Underswap) ][ Enter the third rift (Underfell) ][ Stay in the Anti-Void (but you can’t go back to Swapfell) ]**


	12. Underfell (Part 1)

You inhale deeply and breathe out through your mouth. You can’t stay here, so it’s time to do the proverbial Hokey-Pokey, stick your leggy out real far, and see what happens when you put your left foot into one of the rifts. Which one to choose though? The soft rose sheen in the third rift captures your attention the most.

The overall effect is mesmerizing, and when you step forward, moving your booted foot from the strange infinite whiteness into the powdery ground cover, the snow gives way with a satisfying crunch. There are no adverse effects to your foot; the boot protects it from the temperature change. There’s no reason not to jump in with both feet.

**[ You enter the third rift. ]**

The air around you thrums with tension. You feel the oppressive weight of countless hostile eyes watching you. Your skin crawls, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You’re alone on a snow-covered path in densely shadowed woodlands, and every single cell in your body is screaming danger at full volume. You glance over your shoulder, checking to make sure you have an avenue of escape back through the opening you used to get here.

There’s nothing behind you except more snow and trees. The portal has vanished. You panic, sure you’ve chosen poorly in coming to this obviously dangerous world, until you hear a voice behind you.

“‘ey, sweetcheeks. you lost?”

The voice is gruff and gravelly, and you can’t see the speaker at all, just two glowing pinpricks of red flashing in the nearby shadows.

“W-who are you?” you ask, attempting to sound brave. The voice chuckles, a not entirely unpleasant sound, though a bit ominous given the questionable circumstances.

“me, well, my name’s-” the speaker pauses. You wait politely, wondering if he forgot his name. Maybe he’s trying to build up some anticipation? You’ve just decided to ask his name again when you hear it being screamed across the forest in a commanding bellow.

_“SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANS!”_

“that’s my name, and that’s my brother shrieking it like an angry goat. his name’s Papyrus, but everyone calls ‘im Boss cuz he’s in charge around here.” The speaker finally emerges from the shadows, a stocky skeleton monster with the omnipresent red hue that saturates the ambient light reflected in his eyelights. He’s smiling, and his mouth is alarmingly full of sharp teeth, including one gleaming gold fang that reminds you of something… something that you still can’t quite grasp in your memory. “and lemme guess. yer a human, right?”

The skeleton’s already too-wide grin seems to widen, and a chill shoots down your spine.

**[ Admit to being human (Meet Sans) ][ Run towards the sound of Boss’s voice (Meet Papyrus) ][ Run directly into the woods (Avoid the skeletons) ]**


	13. Underfell (Part 2)

You shuffle nervously, not sure how to answer this intimidating skeleton’s question. Hasn’t he seen a human before? Is he mocking you? His sharp teeth are so unnerving,, and your brain struggles in vain to reassemble the bits and pieces of lost memories that are jogged by Sans’ appearance. The pervasive sense of danger all around you and your inability to remember what feels like very important information makes you vibrate with anxiety.

You consider running towards his brother’s voice. Sure, this so-called Boss is loud, but if he’s in charge around here, maybe he can keep you safe? Still, it would be incredibly rude to run away from Sans without answering his question. You could always just escape and hide in the woods, but something about the densely packed shadows and unknown hazards doesn’t sit well with you.

Honesty will just have to be the best policy. After all, Sans hasn’t made any attempt to attack you. He’s standing a respectful distance away from you. Sure, he’s sweaty even in this chilly winter climate, but all he’s really done is introduce himself. The least you can do is return the favor.

**[ You admit to being human. ]**

Sans doesn’t seem to be surprised, but he does offer you a warning.

“ya might not wanna be so forthcoming with that type of information, sweetcheeks,” he scolds gently. “in this world it’s kill or be killed, and there’s a pretty high bounty on human SOULs.”

You instantly regret not fleeing into the woods. Is Sans planning to kill you for some sort of reward? He must see the terror written all over your face because he’s quick to reassure you.

“aww, don’t worry about me, sweetcheeks. can’t ya see i’m harmless?” Sans gestures at himself, knowing full well that his leather flight jacket, pointy teeth, spiked collar, and sanguine eyelights are screaming  _something_  and it definitely isn’t  _harmless_ , but his self-deprecating laugh chases away any doubts you might have. Sinister murder skeletons don’t laugh like that. “catching humans is a lot more effort than i’m willing to put in.” He winks at you.

“Thank goodness for laziness then,” you tell him. He chuckles appreciatively.

“yer alright, human. better than some of the monsters lurking around these woods. speaking of, we should probably vamoose and meet up with Boss. he’s always wanted to meet a human.”

The terrified expression must have returned to your face because Sans rubs his hand on the back of his skull apologetically. “don’t worry about my bro. he’s all bark and no bite. heh, if it’s biting yer after that’s my forte.” He opens his mouth slightly, showing off his teeth. “Boss just takes his job seriously. he might try to capture ya, but he ain’t gonna hurt ya or let anyone else hurt ya.”

You’re not sure how you feel about Sans biting you or Boss capturing you. You’re still musing over your options when you hear further shouting echoing through the snowbound forest.

“SANS YOU LAZYBONES, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT YOUR SENTRY STATION WATCHING FOR HUMANS! YOU BETTER NOT BE NAPPING IN A SNOW POFF AGAIN!”

“last chance to back out of meeting Boss, sweetcheeks,” Sans informs you, tracking his brother’s progress along the path with his eyelights.

“Sans-” you start to ask a question, but he interrupts you.

“call me Red,” he tells you. “the rest of my friends do.” He accompanies that last statement with another wink, but it warms your heart to know that you have an ally in this dangerous world.

**[ Hide behind Red (Avoid Papyrus) ][ Volunteer to be captured (Meet Papyrus) ][ Tell Red he can bite you (Flirt with Red) ][ Run into the woods (FLEE) ]**


	14. Underfell (Part 3)

Your brain is still stuck on the thought of Red biting you. You wonder if you should flirt with the cocky skeleton; he seems like a fun guy. There’s no time for budding romance, though, because a very irritated sounding Boss is rounding a bend in the path that places you directly in his line of sight within moments. You wonder if you should duck behind Red and hide, but you prefer to face Red’s brother head on. You wouldn’t want him to think you’re a coward!

“SANS! WHY AREN’T YOU AT YOUR SENTRY STATION? A HUMAN COULD STROLL RIGHT PAST, AND YOU’D NEVER EVEN KNOW IT! AT LEAST YOU’RE AWAKE THIS TIME AND NOT TRYING TO SELL-” Boss’s words fizzle out as the sweeping gestures he used while he spoke unintentionally encompassed the human (you) who had just literally strolled past Red.

“huh, guess you were right, Boss! there’s a human right there!” Red points at you with an overly exaggerated look of shock on his face.

Boss misses the humor entirely, striding forward to stand in front of you, towering over you at an intimidating height made possible by his long legs and heeled boots. He’s an absolute vision of edgy glory in black and red with a scar over one eye and a scarf billowing out behind him even though there’s no wind.

“I TOLD YOU. I TOLD EVERYONE! I KNEW A HUMAN WOULD COME THROUGH HERE EVENTUALLY!” Boss pumps his fist in the air in victory, and you work very hard to hide the smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. He quickly settles back into his imperious mode.

“PREPARE TO BE CAPTURED HUMAN!”

**[ You volunteer to be captured. ]**

“Oh, no, I’m captured?” you venture tentatively. Is it really this easy. You just say that you’re captured and  _BOOM_ , you’re captured? Apparently not…

“I ADMIRE YOUR MOXIE, HUMAN, BUT ONE IS NOT SIMPLY ‘CAPTURED’-” he actually makes air quotes as he speaks “- BECAUSE THEY SAY SO! YOU MUST BE DEFEATED BY MY EXPERT TRAPS FIRST! ONLY THEN MAY YOU SURRENDER!”

You did volunteer for this, and Red did say that Boss wouldn’t harm you. Out of the corner of your eye, you can actually see Red flashing you a charming smile and a double thumbs up. Boss awaits your compliance, offering you his arm to escort you further into the woods.

“welp, if you’ve got everything handled with the human, i think i’ll clock out early and head to Grillby’s,” Red says with a shrug as you stand figuratively frozen on the path between them.

“YOU CAN’T CLOCK OUT IF YOU NEVER ACTUALLY WORK,” grumbles Boss. You sense an antagonistic brotherly bond between the two that’s actually kind of endearing.

Red shrugs again, refusing to squabble. “see ya later, sweetcheeks! don’t beat my bro up too badly!”

**[ Ask to go with Red (Stay with Red) ][ Ask Red to stay (Hang out with Red _and_  Boss) ][ Tell Boss you can’t wait to see his Great and Terrible traps (Go with Boss) ]**


	15. Underfell (Part 4)

You pout a bit. Boss has a very overwhelming personality, and you’d feel much more comfortable if Red stayed as a buffer. Something about the laid back skeleton really puts you at ease.

**[ You ask Red to stay. ]**

“aww, sweetcheeks, you really want me to stay and keep the big bad Boss in line for ya?” Red winks at you. “how could i ever say no to that?”

“I ASSURE YOU THAT MY BROTHER COULDN’T ‘KEEP ME IN LINE’ IF HE TRIED,” said Boss with a roll of his eyelights. “IT IS I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, WHO WILL BE KEEPING MY BROTHER- AND ANY OTHER MONSTERS WE ENCOUNTER WHO MAY WISH YOU HARM- IN LINE.”

Boss offers you his arm again, and you take it. Red steps forward. “hey what about me?” he whines.

“YOU CAN WALK ON YOUR OWN,” says Boss coolly, leading you further down the path in the direction he came from.

“but i’m bone tired from working all day!” Red continues to complain. Boss sighs as if he’s used to Red’s shenanigans; he probably is.

“FINE, I SUPPOSE I CAN CARRY YOU THIS TIME,” Boss concedes. Red climbs his brother like a tree, clinging to Boss piggyback style and smiling smugly. It doesn’t take the three of you long to reach the first cleverly crafted trap.

A tile grid covers the ground in a clearing, the snow brushed painstakingly away to show  arrows drawn on each square. Boss proudly explains the puzzle to you.

“EACH TILE IS ENCHANTED AND WILL ONLY ALLOW YOU TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION INDICATED BY THE ARROW. THERE IS ONLY ONE SOLUTION! FAIL, AND YOU SHALL FACE IMMINENT AND DEADLY PERIL!”

You notice some pits filled with spears and flamethrowers pointed at scorched tiles that corroborate Boss’s claims. You inspect the puzzle for awhile until you’re sure you’ve chosen a path that will lead you to victory… or at least not death. You step forward, but before you can place your foot on the selected tile, Boss shouts at you:

“NOT THAT ONE!” He looks a bit embarrassed by his outburst, but he elaborates: “SINCE YOU’VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED SUCH A MASTERFUL PUZZLE BEFORE, I WILL GIVE YOU A HINT.” He points to the correct tile, essentially solving the puzzle for you. “YOU SHALL START HERE AND PROCEED AS DIRECTED.”

As you follow the puzzle you glance to the side where your original step would’ve taken you and see a hole bristling with spears. You would’ve fallen into it without Boss’s help. Red was right. Boss made sure you didn’t get hurt.

You take Boss’s offered arm once you’re past the first obstacle and walk with him to the next trap. This one is another tile puzzle, but these tiles are brightly colored. Boss shows you the starting point for the puzzle, then he dashes off to the other side of the trap with Red in tow. He stands near a control panel, reading from a rumpled sheet of paper, which turns out to be instructions:

“THE GREEN TILES WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU. THE YELLOW TILES… WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU. THE PURPLE TILES… WILL ALSO… ELECTROCUTE YOU,” Boss’s imperious voice trails off as he scans the rest of the instructions.

“i don’t think humans do well with electrocution, Boss,” Red comments. “who designed this trap anyway?”

“I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS AN MTT-BRAND HUMAN TRAP!”

“isn’t MTT a robot who’s programmed to kill humans?”

You shift your weight from foot to foot while they bicker.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER, SANS, THE FICKLE CONTRAPTION ISN’T EVEN WORKING!” Boss toggles the lever back and forth to demonstrate.

“that’s because you unplugged it while we argu-”

“I SAID IT’S NOT WORKING, SANS! ONWARD TO THE NEXT PUZZLE!”  Boss stomps forward, forgetting to escort you this time, but Red gives you a huge grin over his shoulder as you scramble after them as if to say “see, i told ya Boss was a softie!” which he then proceeds to actually say, much to Boss’s feigned outrage.

The next trap is clearly both homemade and Boss’s pride and joy if the grand, sweeping gesture he makes when revealing it to you is any indication. Your heart sinks when you see it though. It’s a narrow rope bridge with flamethrowers on both sides, guillotine after guillotine swinging, all at different speeds and heights, and what appear to be actual spears loaded into actual cannons. There is absolutely no way you’ll survive it.

Boss glances at you out of the corner of his socket, checking your reaction to see if you’re suitably impressed. He does a double-take though at the expression of utter horror you’re sure is on your face. He contemplates a moment.

“I SUPPOSE SUCH AN ADVANCED AND FEARSOME GAUNTLET OF TERROR MIGHT BE A BIT MUCH FOR YOUR SQUISHY HUMAN BODY. YOU MAY SURRENDER AND BE CAPTURED WITHOUT CROSSING THE DREADED BRIDGE OF DEADLY DOOM.”

You stomach grumbles in response. All of the walking has worn you out and made you hungry.

“better capture the human quick, Boss, before they die of starvation!” Red quips.

**[ Go hug Boss and tell him _you’re_  capturing  _him_  (Flirt with Boss) ][ Tell Boss you surrender to him (Go into Snowdin with Boss  _and_  Red) ][ Tell Boss that Red technically captured you first (Go to Snowdin with Red ONLY) ]**


	16. Underfell (Part 5)

You carefully consider your options. Despite Boss’s expert puzzle- and trap-making skills, he technically didn’t defeat you. You could always make an attempt to capture  _him_ ; he’d probably actually be impressed by that. Unfortunately, you’re in no condition, with your aforementioned squishy human body, to subdue Boss in combat. Besides, Red technically captured you first before you even met Boss.

The expectant and hopeful expression on Boss’s angular features makes the decision for you.

**[ You surrender to Boss. ]**

Red hops down from Boss’s back and claps you on the shoulder. “good choice, sweetcheeks. now we can get out of this frozen wasteland!”

“COME ALONG, HUMAN PRISONER. WE’LL BRING YOU INTO TOWN AND PROCURE YOU SOME SUSTENANCE.”

Boss continues down the trail, and you follow him with Red by your side. Boss never stops scanning the ground, the trees, the weirdly close-looking sky which you eventually realize is some sort of cavern ceiling. You ask Red about his brother’s extreme caution.

“i told ya this is a dangerous place, sweetcheeks,” Red replies seriously.

“YOU ARE IN NO DANGER AS LONG AS YOU ARE MY HUMAN… I MEAN PRISONER,” reassures Boss absently, still distracted by his own watchfulness.

“same goes for me,” says Red, throwing a companionable arm around your shoulders. He’s close enough to you that you can see a worn red leather collar around his neck. You ask him about it as you walk.

“all the Snowdin Royal Guards, even the sentries, wear ‘em. some dumb dog tradition, but they insist. except for Boss. he doesn’t have to wear one because he’s the Captain,” Red says Captain in a singsong voice meant to rile Boss.

“I DON’T WEAR ONE BECAUSE I WON’T WEAR ONE, AND I’VE TOLD YOU BEFORE TO TAKE THAT SILLY THING OFF, SANS. YOU AREN’T A CANINE,” Boss scolds.

“yeah, i’m more of a K 10, amirite?” Red elbows your side, but you don’t have a chance to laugh because you’ve arrived in town.

Burly, scarred monsters stare at you hungrily, but an icy glare from Boss has them suddenly finding other places that they urgently need to be. Boss even stops in the middle of town to make a haughty announcement.

“THIS HUMAN IS MY PRISONER AND THEREFORE UNDER MY PROTECTION. IF YOU SO MUCH AS THINK AN UNKIND THOUGHT TOWARDS THEM, YOU’RE DUST.” Boss lifts his head high, daring any monster to meet his eyelights and challenge him. Nobody dares.

“ya laid it on a little thick there, dontcha think, Boss?” comments Red as the three of you stop in front of a house that looks somehow both familiar and out of place. You’ve never been here before… have you?

“COME INSIDE AND I’LL MAKE MY FAMOUS LASAGNA FOR YOU SO THAT YOU MAY ADMIRE MY CULINARY SKILLS AS WELL AS MY TRAP-DESIGNING GENIUS,” offers Boss.

“c’mon Boss, the human wants something edible!” Red turns to you. “why dontcha come to Grillby’s with me for some real food?”

**[ Thank Red for his offer, but tell Boss you’d like to try the lasagna (Stay with Boss) ][ Thank Boss for the offer, but tell him you’d like to try Grillby’s (Stay with Red) ][ Thank them both, but offer to find your own food (Explore Snowdin alone) ]**


	17. Underfell (Part 6)

You glance back and forth between Boss and Red. Both offers sound inviting, and both skeletons are giving you hopeful smiles, making your decision difficult. Your stomach protests again with an embarrassing gurgle. You need to eat something, and lasagna sounds so good. You adore Italian food, and if Boss’s culinary skills are anywhere near as good as he claims, you look forward to tasting what he prepares.

**[ You thank Red for his offer, but tell Boss you’d like to try his lasagna. ]**

Boss waves you into the house. “MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE. I SHALL BEGIN LASAGNA PREPARATIONS AT ONCE.”

You step into their living room, right into that same dizzying sense of not-quite-right deja-vu. Red stops in the doorway and shouts to Boss, who is already clanging pots and pans in the kitchen.

“‘ey , Boss remember what we talked about earlier?”

“QUIET SANS, I’M MEASURING!” Boss responds shortly.

Red lets the silence stretch out after Boss’s words. You hide a smile behind you hand. Sure, Boss doesn’t need to hear to measure, but he is making you dinner. You’d hate for him to think you were mocking him.

“i meant about MTT bein’ a human killing robot. ya might want to leave the MTT Brand Human Poison out of the recipe this time,” Red comments.

“I WAS GOING TO LEAVE IT OUT!” Boss grumbles, emerging from the kitchen wearing a very tall chef’s hat and a very frilly and extremely pink apron.

“sure thing, Boss,” Red agrees before turning to give you an exaggerated wink. “see ya later, sweetcheeks.” After saying goodbye, Red simply vanishes.

“I TOLD HIM NO TELEPORTING IN THE HOUSE.” Boss sighs and faces you, fishing a sheet of paper out of his apron pocket similar to the one he’d had for his electrocution trap. “I AM WELL AWARE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF A HUMAN’S DIET, BUT JUST TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD LOOK OVER THIS RECIPE AND TELL ME WHICH INGREDIENTS ARE LETHAL TO HUMANS. TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THEM, OF COURSE.”

You take the paper from him and a pencil he offers. You read the ingredients carefully, grateful that Red mentioned it before you took a bite of the lasagna. You cross off such questionable items as “MTT Brand Noodle Glue,” “MTT Brand Metallic Sparkle Slivers,” and Arsenic among other things. You review the recipe, making sure that only acceptable lasagna-themed food items remain before handing it back to him.

He inspects the items you crossed off with narrowed sockets. He seems to be a bit surprised that you don’t like “MTT Assorted Tacks and Nails” with your dinner, but he tucks the paper back into his apron pocket and declares that you passed his test with flying colors. He disappears back into the kitchen and minutes later you smell the mouth-watering aroma of food that does not contain two tablespoons of Motor Oil (any brand).

Boss exits the kitchen a good while later. There’s no smoke pouring through the doorway, so you take that as a good sign. He informs you that dinner is ready, and in his typical gentlemanly (gentlemonsterly?) way, offers you his arm to escort you to the kitchen table. Once you take your seat, he places a plate of lasagna in front of you, complete with probably-parsley garnish and fragrant steam lazily rising from it.

You cut a bite with your fork.

_CRUNCH!_

“I hope the noodles aren’t undercooked,” you joke with a nervous laugh.

“COOKED?” he looks genuinely confused at the thought of doing anything so heinous as cooking a noodle. “AN EXCELLENT ATTEMPT TO BEFUDDLE ME, HUMAN, BUT I KNOW THAT NOODLES ARE NOT TO BE COOKED.” He smiles as if he is proud of you for playing a joke. He waits for you to take a bite of the lasagna.

You really don’t want to disappoint him, but you think that Red may have been right to eat elsewhere.

**[ Tell him the lasagna is delicious and eat it (Continue dinner, appease Boss) ][ Tell him that you must have crossed off a crucial ingredient and offer to help him make something else (End dinner, flirt with Boss) ][ Take a few bites, tell Boss you’re full, then offer to go fetch Red from Grillby’s (Go to Grillby’s) ]**


	18. Underfell (Part 7)

You lift the bite of crunchy lasagna from the plate and angle it towards your mouth. An overwhelming scent of garlic punches you in the face and scorches your nostrils. You almost wonder if you should’ve just let him use the MTT Brand Human Poison. It would be quicker. You close your eyes and take the bite.

You can’t taste anything over the garlic, but fortunately your tongue is numbed enough not to feel the texture of the uncooked pasta. You try to smile instead of grimace. Boss is watching you closely, and you don’t want to hurt his feelings. He is obviously proud of his lasagna. You manage to chew and swallow. Boss seems to be unable to discern the difference between the human expression of suffering and a contemplative aura of culinary ecstacy.

You can’t keep it up. Your eyes are watering, and Boss is sure to notice at any moment.

**[ You decide to tell Boss that you must have crossed off a crucial ingredient from the recipe. ]**

“I’m sorry, Boss-”

“YOU MAY CALL ME PAPYRUS,” he interrupts. His hopeful smile transforms all of his sharp angles into something soft and handsome.

“Papyrus,” you correct yourself. “But I think I must have must have crossed off an incorrect ingredient after all. I think I ruined your lovely lasagna!” You sigh, overcome with guilt.

“I SHALL MAKE IT AGAIN AS THE RECIPE DICTATES THEN! MINUS THE HUMAN POISON, OF COURSE.” Boss- or rather, Papyrus- poses dramatically, and once again you notice his scarf billowing behind him despite a complete lack of wind inside the house.

This time your smile is genuine. An idea is forming in your mind, so you make Papyrus an offer.

“Maybe to thank you for your hospitality,  _I_  should cook some human food for  _you_?” You make the suggestion shyly, not wanting to offend the reigning chef.

He considers it. “MAY I OBSERVE YOUR TECHNIQUES? I COULD ADD THEM TO MY OWN RATHER EXPANSIVE EXPERTISE.”

“Of course!” Are you really going to teach a skeleton, a Captain of the Royal Guard, to cook? You want to make something that you know will taste great but won’t be too difficult. You don’t want to mess up a dish in front of the Great and Terrible Papyrus even though it’s pretty unlikely that he’d be able to tell the difference.

Pancakes sound like a good plan. You’ve made them enough times from scratch that you have a recipe memorized. It’s even possible that Papyrus has some pancake mix to use as a shortcut. You open the cupboards to take inventory of your available ingredients and find an adorable surprise.

There, next to boxes upon boxes of MTT Brand things-that-should-not-be-called-food and various-sized containers of Temmie flakes is a lonely box of cereal… the sugar-coated, chocolate-flavored kind. You hold the incriminating cereal out to Papyrus.

“Are these Cocoa Pebbles?” you ask him incredulously.

“OF COURSE NOT!” Boss snatches the box of cereal out of your hands and hides it behind his back.

“It’s my favorite,” you tell him, “because it turns the milk into chocolate milk!”

Begrudgingly he hands the box of cereal back to you. “I SUPPOSE THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWERS OF THE CEREAL  _ARE_ APPEALING. IT… … IT’S MY FAVORITE FOOD!” he admits. He waits, probably thinking you’ll laugh at him. You do not.

“Well, let’s eat it then!”

He breathes a sigh of relief and grabs two bowls and a pair of spoons. You open the refrigerator to find some soon-to-be-chocolate milk and discover that the fridge is absolutely packed with milk cartons.

Papyrus steps in close to you, reaching past you to select one of the cartons. He smells like midnight and moonlight, mystery and danger.

“MY BROTHER AND I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH GROWING UP. I FEAR THAT SANS FREQUENTLY PUT MY OWN DIETARY NEEDS ABOVE HIS OWN. BECAUSE OF THAT, HE IS DANGEROUSLY WEAK. HE NEEDS ALL THE CALCIUM HE CAN GET WITH ONLY 1 HIT POINT.”

You return to the table and pour matching bowls of cereal, leaving the poor mangled lasagna pushed off to the side and forgotten.

“How do you know Red only has 1 hit point?” you ask between bites of supposed-to-be-crunchy cereal.

“BY DOING A *CHECK ON HIS STATS, OF COURSE.” Papyrus must notice your utter confusion because he asks: “ARE YOU UNFAMILIAR WITH BATTLE FORMATS?” You nod. He chews his cereal, carefully thinking over your answer.

“HUMAN, I PRIDE MYSELF ON HAVING VERY HIGH STANDARDS, AND YOU ARE MEETING THEM! THEREFORE, I SHALL INVITE YOU ON A DATE! A DATE WITH BATTLE TRAINING!”

Red chooses that very moment to stroll into the kitchen. When he sees you shoveling down cereal with his brother instead of eating potentially lethal lasagna, he chuckles softly and disappears into the living room.

You still haven’t given Papyrus your answer.

**[ Tell Boss you’d love to train with him (Date Boss) ][ Thank Boss but decline his offer of a date (Friends with Boss, hang out with Red) ][ Tell Boss you already know battle formats (ACT > FIGHT) ]**


	19. Underfell (Part 8)

You have an unexplainable urge to show Papyrus your own battle techniques. Maybe you’ll just leap at him and use your human BITE attack. He’s a skeleton, made of magic and bones; it might be super effective! After all, you’re pretty tough. You found your way here from an endless nothingness and even survived the perils of a lasagna dinner with the local Royal Guard Captain!

Honestly though, a date with Papyrus, even if it involves combat training and battle formats, sounds wonderful. The tall and imperious skeleton has won you over completely with his manners and his sincerity.

**[ You tell Boss you’d love to train with him. ]**

Once again his face softens and lights up in an endearing and unguarded smile. Accepting the date is worth it for the expression on his face alone.

“WE SHALL BEGIN AT ONCE!” Boss dashes out of the kitchen only to return a moment later to remove the frilly pink apron. The image of Papyrus conducting battle training in his cooking attire almost makes you break down into a bout of giggles. You follow him when he leaves the room again.

Red is sprawled out on the couch. He looks up when you and Boss enter the living room. “‘ey , sweetcheeks, hope ya didn’t have too much fun without me,” Red says with another of his saucy winks.

“ACTUALLY, WE HAD THE EXACT AMOUNT OF FUN NECESSARY FOR ME TO INVITE THE HUMAN OUT ON A DATE,” proclaims Boss. You can feel a blush creeping up your cheeks. Red seems to be quite impressed.

“congrats! Boss has really high standards. yer the first person, human or monster, to meet ‘em. lemme shake yer hand.” Red extends his hand, and you shake it reflexively only to receive a tiny buzzing sensation and a small shock to your hand. It doesn’t hurt, but you scowl at him anyway.

“sorry, sweetcheeks. couldn’t resist the ol’ hand buzzer gag,” he says unapologetically. You feel a small slip of paper in your hand; Red must have tucked it there during his prank.

“COME ALONG, DATEMATE.” Boss offers you his arm. You allow him to escort you out the door and back onto the main Snowdin thoroughfare. As he leads you along a smaller road to the north, you peek at the slip of paper.

“remember stoplights. orange means go, and blue means stop.” You’re not sure what it means or when Red had time to write it, but you tuck the note into your jacket pocket next to some strange items that you don’t recall owning.

Boss stops at a clearing on a riverbank. Other monsters in the vicinity make themselves scarce, slinking off into the trees or heading back towards town. You’re completely alone with Boss.

“SINCE YOU ARE TRAINING WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE YOU AN OFFICIAL GUARD-IN-TRAINING,” Papyrus announces. He pulls a small gold tag, like the one Red wears on his collar, from his pocket and hands it to you. The word Trainee is engraved on it in flowery script. You wonder if Boss made this himself. You thank him and add the trinket to the growing collection in your pocket.

Boss begins his date/lesson.

“BOSS MONSTERS LIKE MYSELF OFTEN USE SOUL MAGIC DURING BATTLES. IF YOU WERE TRULY MY NEMESIS, I WOULD SIMPLY TURN YOUR SOUL BLUE TO RENDER YOU IMMOBILE, DEFEATING YOU WITHOUT STRIKING A SINGLE BLOW.” He seems to be waiting for some acknowledgement, so you gasp softly in admiration. A faint rosy glow appears on his angular cheekbones.

“WE’LL BEGIN WITH A SIMPLE ATTACK PATTERN,” Papyrus explains, summoning a single femur bone into his hand. The end of the bone is sharpened, and the entire thing glows a faint red. He uses the femur like a baton, conducting an array of very short bones to rise out of the snow and glide slowly towards you. You sidestep them easily. The next set is a bit taller and moves a bit faster. You jump over them.

“EXCELLENT WORK,” Boss praises you. You beam at him. “TRY DODGING THESE NEXT,” he says, and your smile disappears as you focus on jumping, ducking, and leaping out of the way of various twirling, rising, and floating bones. Even with the attacks slowed down, it requires concentration to avoid being hit.

Boss continues to praise each and every victory though you know he’s going easy on you. The scarred Royal Guard Captain actually seems to be enjoying using his potentially fatal magical attacks in a playful and harmless way. When he moves on to orange and blue attacks, he’s pleased to discover that you already know how to handle them. You silently thank Red for his help.

Three orange bones fly forward in slow motion. You leap to meet them. The sensation of battle magic passing innocuously through you makes you giggle. You freeze instead of jumping and allow three short blue bone attacks tickle your shins as they pass through.

Your muscles begin to tire in that outside-all-day way that’s incredibly satisfying. You open your mouth to tell Boss that you’d like to end the lesson only to see a blue attack zipping towards you at face level. You remember Red’s advice. You remember Boss’s warnings, but the instinct to flinch away is too strong. You jerk backwards while simultaneously bracing yourself for impact. You hope Boss is using weakened attacks because you’re about to take a direct hit to your fragile human face.

The strike never lands. Instead, you feel yourself being lifted into strong bony arms and removed from the battlefield unscathed in a blur of black and red.

“I TOLD YOU I WOULD NOT ALLOW HARM TO COME TO YOU, DATEMATE,” Papyrus murmurs. His sharp cheekbone is almost touching yours. His face is so close, and his sockets are half-lidded. He’s holding you effortlessly in his arms. You stare at him; he gazes back.

“MAYBE THIS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT TO SHOW YOU MY SPECIAL ATTACK.” You’re positive that he’s planning to kiss you.

**[ *ACT > SPARE (Let Boss kiss you) ][ *ACT > FIGHT (Kiss Boss) ][ *FLEE (Tell Boss you’d rather stay just friends) ]**


	20. Underfell (Finale: The Anti-Void Again)

Boss hesitates, holding you in his arms, your mouths nearly touching, but you’re not some damsel in distress waiting for a skeleton knight in dark armor to rescue you and sweep you off of your feet. You decide to go on the offensive and show Boss your very own special attack.

**[ ACT > FIGHT ]**

You press your mouth to Boss’s, taking advantage of being held in his arms to place a hand against each of his pointy cheekbones to hold his skull in place while you smooch him. Your sneak attack works like a charm and the Captain of the Royal Guard is stunned by your bold move… but only for a second.

Boss seizes control and kisses you roughly. You can feel his sharp teeth against your lips, and the heavy rise and fall of his ribcage presses the smooth surface of his armor against your chest. Your eyes and his sockets are closed as you sink into the bliss of Boss nipping your bottom lip.

You part your lips slightly, wondering if Boss, as a skeleton, has a tongue to use for kissing. He does, slipping it gently into your mouth to taste you before pulling away slowly and deliberately to look you in the eye.

He sets you back on your own two feet, and your legs wobble slightly. You tell yourself that it’s not because of Boss’s expert kissing, but you know yourself too well to accept your own lies.

“I APOLOGIZE IF I WAS TOO FORWARD WITH YOU, DATEMATE,” Boss looks a bit embarrassed and a whole lot flustered with a bright red blush glowing on his cheekbones. You reach out and lay a hand on his arm, prepared to comfort him, but he continues. “NOBODY HAS EVER MET MY STANDARDS BEFORE. IN THE UNDERGROUND, TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION ARE A SIGN OF WEAKNESS THAT COULD GET ME- OR WORSE, SANS- DUSTED. I CAN’T DENY IT THOUGH. I TRUST YOU… AND I ENJOY YOUR COMPANY VERY MUCH.”

You realize at that moment that you were Boss’s first kiss. He cautiously entwines his fingers in yours in what, to him, is probably an unfamiliar gesture. He lifts your joined hands to his mouth and gives them a tender skeleton kiss.

Everything goes blank, and suddenly you are surrounded by an endless white landscape. Or perhaps it is a seascape? A mountainscape? You can’t decide what to call where you are (or aren’t) because it isn’t, well, anything. You’re standing in (or is it on?) a vast and infinite nothingness.

You have no idea what’s happening. It seems like you were doing something important. You feel as if you have unfinished business, like you prepared words to say but never spoke them. You rub your arms to drive away an ominous shiver though the air isn’t particularly cold or warm here. Besides, you’re wearing a jacket that would definitely keep away any sort of chill.

_Snow._

The desolate bleached out quality of the area around you somehow reminds you of snow.  You stare down at your booted feet. Why are you thinking about snow? You need to escape this weird place! You lurch forward, unable to gauge your steps well when you can’t figure out what you’re walking on. Still, you can see some kind of dark speck in the distance, and it’s definitely the only landmark.

You stagger towards the speck with a strong sense of deja vu. Once you’re close enough- though you’re not honestly sure just how far away things are here- you can see two portals resembling holes torn in the nothingness. You circle them, but find that they are only two dimensional. Strange, but somehow not unfamiliar.

Why do your eyes keep searching for more? Why is seeing these two side by side rifts so unsettling to you? You should be happy that you’re not stranded forever in this stark, whitewashed emptiness. Still, your mind keeps telling you that there’s something missing.

Looking at one rift you see a snowy landscape with coniferous trees, but when you blink your eyes, for a split second, you see a reddish hue overlaid on the image. It vanishes in an instant. You turn to the other rift. The landscape is similarly snowy, but the trees are different. It should be more shadowy. You’re not sure why, but you think there’s too much light and visibility between the trees.

Should you even be standing this close to mysterious rifts? Where else would you go?

**[ Step into the first rift (Undertale) ][ Step into the second rift (Underswap) ][ Do nothing (Wait in the Anti-Void) ]**


	21. Underfell (Fellby Date Bonus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Chapter contains major character death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Underfell Grillby didn't even make an appearance in Round 2 and several people requested him, I wrote a bonus chapter with the Fellby Date.

You follow Red down the slushy Snowdin street to a bar and restaurant with a warm glow shining out of the large front windows. The word “Grillby’s” is printed across the windows, larger than life in gold leaf which shows beautifully against the polished dark wood of the building. It actually looks pretty expensive. You try to tell Red that you can’t afford a fancy dinner, but he waves you off.

“it’s on me, sweetcheeks,” he reassures you.

Red holds the door open for you, and you step through into more opulence and high-end decor. The lighting inside the bar is tastefully low with high-backed booths to ensure privacy and open tables for large groups. You even see dogs playing poker. Not the painting “Dogs Playing Poker” but actual dog playing actual poker!

The dogs speak in low angry vices full of growls, and one of them even has a knife out. You press closer into Red. He pats your arm and chuckles.

“don’t worry about them. Grillby doesn’t let anyone get too unruly in here. bad for business, y’know.” His words would be more comforting if you knew how much unruliness constitutes being “too unruly.” Still, when Red leads you to a booth with plush leather benches, you seat yourself, and he slides in across from you.

A purple fire elemental saunters over to your table like he owns the place, which it turns out he does. He’s dressed sharply but flamboyantly in a fur-collared suit bedecked in gold- chains, buttons, the rings on his fingers. Everything about the fire elemental is smooth and decadent like gourmet chocolate. Even the flames atop his head dance in a controlled and stylistic chaos.

“Nice try, Red,” the fire elemental purrs in a silky voice, “but you can’t pay your tab with a human, no matter how lovely they are.”

You beat Red to the punch with a snappy retort, not liking the implications of the flame monster’s words. “You couldn’t afford me.” You cross your arms defiantly over your chest.

“the human got ya there, Grillbz,” Red laughs, slapping the table in glee at your open sass.

Grillby peers at you over the top of his sunglasses, the sunglasses that he is wearing inside the restaurant. You can see the arrangement of flames that compose his facial expression form into an arched eyebrow. When he chuckles, the sound is rich and deep.

“A treasure beyond even my wealth? I’d believe it,” He says, taking your hand and lifting it to his mouth for a warm, gentle kiss. “I’ll be making today’s special for you myself, treasure. Compliments of the chef, of course, and trust me, there will be plenty more compliments to follow if you continue to grace my establishment with your presence.”

“i never get anything compliments of the chef,” Red complains.

“There’s not much about you to compliment now is there, Red?” Grillby teases. Red blows a rude raspberry at the fiery bartender.

“one a these days i’m gonna leave ya for a bartender who treats me right.”

“Just like one of these days you’re going to pay your tab, right Red?”

“ya know me too well, Grillbz.”

Grillby smirks in a decidedly sultry manner before heading back behind the long bar counter and into the kitchen. You make small talk with Red while you wait for your food. He tells you stories of his brother as a babybones and dishes dirt on the denizens of the Underground. Your food arrives during a lull in one of Red’s long, convoluted anecdotes.

Grillby sets two covered trays on the table, one in front of you and one in front of Red. Red flips the cover off of his meal immediately and begins to empty a squeeze bottle of mustard wantonly over the contents of his plate. You see noodles, sauce, and ground beef. Is that…?

“Is that Hamburger Helper?” you ask incredulously. You are under the impression that this is a fine dining restaurant.

“That’s what he eats every time he comes here,” says Grillby with a delicate sigh. “Of course I made something infinitely more elevated for you, treasure.”

“hey, I like Hamburger Helper!” squawks Red, spraying his questionable mouthful of food across the table. You and Grillby recoil in disgust. “‘s already pretty mushy, so it’s less work to chew!” He shoves another forkful into his mouth. The sight of Red eating is like a train wreck that you can’t stop watching until your stomach reminds you that you’re desperately hungry.

Grillby removes the metal dome from your plate with a flourish, revealing a beautifully plated five-star gourmet dinner with ingredients you don’t even recognize. It smells heavenly, though, and you dig in, eating slowly and chewing each bite unlike Red who is on the verge of tossing aside his utensils to eat with his bare hands. You hope he’s just trying to be funny. You think that maybe he’s serious.

Grillby waits politely while you sample a bite or two of each item on your plate. You’ve never tasted anything so delicious in your life. You don’t even want to stop eating long enough to tell Grillby how amazing it is, but you refuse to be rude and keep him waiting.

“It’s perfect,” you tell him.

“I must admit, I found a bit of perfection to inspire me,” he murmurs to you. Your cheeks light up as if they’re made of fire as well. Is this suave fire elemental flirting with you? His confident smirk indicates a resounding yes. You lift your napkin to your face in a futile attempt to hide your flustered blush, but Grillby is going in for the kill.

“Is there any way I could convince you to do me the honor of adorning my arm at a concert this evening at the MTT resort?”

“I’m not dressed for-” you begin to protest.

“Treasure, clothing can be changed. I’m not requesting a date with your outfit. I’m requesting a date with you. If anyone takes issue, that is their problem, not ours.” His smirk widens into an earnest smile. He’s tall, handsome, and unbelievably well-spoken, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to just run off with him to parts unknown. You turn to Red for advice.

Red’s bright crimson eyelights are crossed, staring at a stray noodle that has somehow found its way onto the top of his nasal ridge. He’s trying to dislodge it with a tongue made of ecto-magic. He’s so preoccupied that it takes him a moment to realize that you require his attention.

“yea, yea, go with Grillby, sweetcheeks. i’ve survived with no _body_  for this long…” Red snorts at his own joke and the noodle gets sucked into his nasal cavity. He coughs in surprise.

Grillby slaps Red’s back, and Red burps the noodle out of his mouth and onto the table. “Don’t eat that,” scolds Grillby.

“spoil sport,” grumbles Red.

The purple fire monster extends a hand to help you stand up. You hold onto his elbow as he leads you to the center of his bar and restaurant. “Bar’s closed. Everyone out,” he announces. The monsters within shuffle to the door without much fuss. Red is the last one out, and he gives you one of his saucy winks as he passes you.

“don’t keep ‘em out too late Grillbz,” he warns playfully.

“I wouldn’t dream of keeping them out for any longer than they wish to be.” Grillby gives you another of his heart-stopping smiles. “Shall we?” he asks you, gesturing down the main thoroughfare. “We could go by boat, or we could walk.”

You consider the options. Walking alongside a fire elemental through a snowy forest sounds lovely, though he explains that your destination is in Hotland and the path to get there will take you through scenic Waterfall instead of Snowdin forest. Scenic sounds nice, so you agree to walk.

You stroll up and down the various trails in Waterfall alongside Grillby. The fire elemental points out natural features and ancient symbols of monsterkind, anything that he feels might interest you. You notice that other monsters you encounter nod to Grillby or simply ignore him and continue along on their business. It’s clear that Grillby is affluent and respected, but he isn’t treated with hostility or fear.

When you crane your neck to stare at a particularly interesting monster, he gently rests his hand over yours where you’re still clinging to his jacket. He offers to take you down a less frequented path if you’re frightened by the abundant monsters, but you tell him that you feel safe with him.

“As you should, treasure.” His purple flames take on a slightly blue hue around the edges. Is the confident, smooth-talking bartender blushing?

When you arrive at the resort a short walk later, the bird monster at the door greets Grillby as if he’s a familiar face. “Your usual table, sir?” she asks him, barely sparing you a glance.

“Which table suits you best, treasure? Take your pick.” Grillby gestures to the array of tables in front of the stage. You select one near the center, perfect for a good view, but not too close to the stage. You don’t want to sit under a spotlight.

You point out the table to the hostess, and she leads you and Grillby to your seats. After a few moments a vendor walks by with programs. You’re interested, but when the cat monster tells you how much they cost, you remember that you don’t have any money with you. Grillby reaches into his pocket, pulling out some gold coins to purchase it for you.

“Oh no, that’s ok. It’s really expensive for a program,” you protest.

“Hey, little dingus,” growls the cat monster. “That’s pretty rude. Maybe you’d like the program better if I shoved it-” A wisp of purple fire drifts dangerously close to the cat monster’s nose, and he backs off quickly.

“Not so fast,  _Burgerpants_.” Grillby’s voice is low and firm. “I’ll take two programs, and an apology for my date.” The fire elemental taps his finger impatiently on the table. The cat monster, who couldn’t possibly be named Burgerpants, drops two booklets on the table and mumbles an insincere apology before scurrying away.

The show starts, and it’s a very skilled string quartet occasionally accompanied by a piano virtuoso who makes the ivories sing. The music is so captivating that you wonder if the musicians are using magic to enhance it.Your don’t miss the satisfied smile on Grillby’s face as he watches wonder and delight fight to dominate your expression.

Your eyes are lit up like a million dazzling fireworks, and he can’t look away, so he rests his chin on his folded hands, elbows rudely propped up on the tabletop, and gazes at you until the concert is finished. When the lights come up again, he escorts you to the resort lobby, stopping in front of a large fountain with rainbows dancing in the spray.

“They say if you toss in a coin and make a wish, your wildest dreams can come true, but even my wildest dreams would pale in comparison to this evening I’ve spent with you,” Grillby whispers into your ear. You can’t believe how charming he is.

Grillby cups your cheek in one warm hand. The movement of his flames tickles your skin, but the temperature is perfect, comforting and comfortable. Grillby tilts your chin and lowers his mouth to yours.

Kissing Grillby is exactly how kissing fire should feel- hot, passionate, and wild. His flames and tongue lick against your lips, and you part them in response. Everything about the kiss consumes you, radiating heat from your head to your toes. The scorching heat doesn’t burn, but it ignites a slow pleasurable thrill inside you.

You gasp slightly as he pulls away. You want more, but when you step forward, he raises a hand to stop you. “Another time, treasure. You’re enamored by the magic of tonight, and I don’t want you to do something you’d regret. You’re worth waiting for, and I am a patient monster.”

Grillby takes your hand, entwining his fingers with yours. He chooses a different route back to Snowdin, walking through caves whose ceilings sparkle with mica chips like a million diamond stars reflecting the light of the fire elemental’s flames. Another cave holds glowing blue crystal formations that pulse in time with your heartbeat, slightly increased by Grillby’s proximity and your recent memories of a very sensual kiss.

You emerge from the cavern system onto a riverbank. You remember seeing the river when you left Snowdin earlier. You’re almost to Snowdin Town, but you don’t think you’re ready for the night to end just yet. The ambient light is low, and the forests around Snowdin appear magical in the false twilight. You suggest a jaunt through the blue-shadowed snow drifts and powder-laden trees, and Grillby laughs softly at your poetic descriptions as he leads you into the woods.

Hiking through the forest is slow work. Grillby lets go of your hand so that he can focus on melting the deeper snow ahead of you to prevent you from getting bogged down. Unfortunately, he’s so busy concentrating on helping you navigate your magical woodland adventure that he soon becomes lost.

“Damn,” the fire elemental hisses as a small deluge of snow knocked loose from a branch sizzles in his flames, “I must have gotten turned around. It’s going to take us longer to get to town than I thought. Are you warm enough?” The cold isn’t an issue for Grillby, but you’ve been trying to control your shivering for the last several minutes, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“No,” you admit. Grillby removes his fur-collared jacket and wraps it around your shoulders. It’s much heavier than the jacket you’re currently wearing, and it’s still pleasantly warm from Grillby’s body heat. You snuggle down into the silk lining, feeling rejuvenated and ready to wade through more snow.

“There, much better.” Grillby surveys the surroundings and adjusts your direction. “At least it’s not-” Icy, white snowflakes blow into your face on a gust of wind “-a blizzard.” Grillby pinches the bridge of where a nose would be between his fingers. “ _Fuck_.”

Grillby sets off with renewed urgency, but with two heavy coats on, you’re not fast enough to keep up. Grillby grabs your hand, blasting fire at the snow drifts ahead of you as he lifts you into his arms to carry you, but even he can’t outrun the storm. The blizzard sets in with ruthless ferocity and speed.

Grillby grimaces in pain, driving snow evaporating instantly wherever it touches him. You’re worried. The weather is actually harming him. “Go on ahead. I can wait here,” you urge him.

“You’ll freeze,” Grillby states flatly, and you know he’s right. The temperature has already dropped to dangerous levels, and even insulated by two jackets, you continue to tremble from the cold.

Grillby clears a space on the ground and pulls you onto his lap. He wraps his arms tightly around you and warms you with his magic. His flames pale as his magic forms a protective barrier between you and the cold. The heavy snowfall is taking a toll on him.

“What about you?” you ask in a worried whisper.

“I said I would protect you. I have been many things in my life, but a liar was never one of them, and I don’t intend to start now. Not with you, treasure.” He points to two distant hills, barely visible through the blizzard conditions. “If you head in that direction, you’ll reach Snowdin.”

You start to argue, but he shushes you. His flames are weakening, fizzling and spitting in defiance of the storm. How much longer can he keep this up? You try again.

“Grillby-”

“Shh, just let me hold you like this a little bit longer.” Grillby rests his chin on the top of your head. The sphere of warmth around you is shrinking down until it only remains in the places where Grillby is pressed against you. “I wish I’d had the opportunity to get to know you better, treasure.”

He plants a kiss on your forehead.

Everything disappears in a flash of blinding white light.

When your vision clears, an endless whiteness spreads out before you as far as the eye can see… broken by tall trees and rocky outcroppings.

You aren’t in the anti-Void…

… but you are completely alone.


	22. Underswap (Part 1)

You stare at the two rifts, trying to make sense of the swirl of images that won’t quite come into focus in your head. You peer into the first rift, then into the second rift. You don’t hesitate this time (this time? Where did that thought come from?). You sense that you can enter the rifts safely with a surety that could only come from familiarity (weren’t there more than two rifts here?)

**[ You step into the second rift (Underswap) ]**

The snow crunches underneath your socks (socks? You’re wearing boots…). You blink a few times, and the image of socks in the snow and the phantom sensation of seeping cold fade away into nothingness. You stand on the path, wondering if you’re losing your mind. You rub your temples to clear your head.

Inhaling the clean, crisp air of the surrounding forest settles your mind. The inconsistent imagery dissipates as if it was never really there at all. You stand on the path, looking to the left and right. Which way should you go? You suspect there might be skeleton monsters in these woods, but you’re not sure why. You’ve never been here before in your life, you’re certain of that now.

You can hear voices coming from the path to the right. One of the voices is deep and speaks energetically. You smile a bit at the joyful tone of excitement that the speaker uses. He sounds happy. That’s a promising sign.

A second speaker replies in a slightly higher and much slower speech pattern. The easy laziness of that speaker also sounds reassuring. Nothing about the two voices screams danger to you. In fact, the two speakers, whoever they are, sound like they’re having a good time. Maybe you should approach them? You’re not sure. What if they don’t appreciate the intrusion?

**[ Wait where you are (FLEE) ][ Approach the speakers openly (ACT) ][ Make noise to get their attention (ITEM) ]**


	23. Underswap (Part 2)

You weigh your options. The joyful voices certainly don’t frighten you, and you’re not the type of person to stand around and wait for someone to come and find  _you_. The voices you’re still hearing have broken into the type of lighthearted laughter that has you smiling.

**[ You decide to approach the speakers. ]**

Your boots crunch on the fresh powder along the path. The speakers keep speaking, going back and forth and occasionally laughing. They obviously don’t have a care in the world, and you think that sounds like a great plan for the future.

You round the corner, staying in the middle of path, making sure you’re as visible as possible. You don’t want to surprise anyone by dropping in unexpectedly. From your location, you have a perfect view of the clearing ahead of you.

The speakers are skeletons, which you expected for some reason unbeknownst to you. The taller one is wearing an orange hoodie and shorts (in this chilly weather!), and he’s scuffling the toe of his sneaker in the snow. The other skeleton is a short little bundle of energy, a blur of grays and blues as he darts around, trying to affix a cardboard roof to a somewhat rickety-looking lemonade stand style structure.

“PAPY, YOU’RE NOT HELPING!” the smaller skeleton huffs.

“just takin’ a smoke break, bro,” says the taller skeleton, though he doesn’t have a cigarette that you can see. Instead, he exhales a deliberately heavy breath. The warm air condenses as it floats from his mouth, curling into the air like smoke. He turns ever so slightly, looks right at you, and winks.

You stifle a giggle.

“NO MORE BREAKS, PAPY! I NEED YOU TO HELP ME PUT THE NEW ROOF ON OUR SENTRY STATION SO WE CAN BE READY FOR ANY HUMANS WHO SHOW UP!”

The shorter skeleton is so preoccupied with making repairs that he hasn’t noticed your presence yet, though his brother is staring at you with a merry twinkle in his sockets.

“sure thing, bro. a human could come strollin’ up the path any minute, so there’s  _snow_  time to waste!”

The smaller skeleton chuckles. “PAPY, THAT WAS AWFUL,” he scolds playfully.

**[ Stay where you are and watch the skeletons work (Wait) ][ Offer to help the short skeleton with his sentry station (Meet Blue first) ][ Make a terrible pun (Meet Stretch first) ]**


	24. Underswap (Part 3)

You could stand at the edge of the clearing forever just watching the two skeletons interact, but you came over here to meet them, not to observe them. The shorter skeleton seems to be so excited at the prospect of encountering a real human, but the taller skeleton’s puns have tickled your funny bone. You debate how to make your entrance onto the scene.

**[ You offer to help build the sentry station… by making a pun! ]**

“ _Icy_  you need some help there!” you call out boldly as you stride into the clearing. The tall skeleton snorts with glee, but his brother lets out a tiny (and adorable) gasp as his eyelights morph into stars.

He points at you. “PAPY, IS THAT A HUMAN?” he asks excitedly.

“no, Blue, that’s a pun,” replies his brother, deadpan.

You burst into laughter, and the short skeleton, Blue, screeches to a halt in front of you with a frown on his face.

“PAPY THIS IS SERIOUS!” Blue looks at you with eyelights full of curiosity and wonder. “ARE YOU REALLY A HUMAN? I’VE NEVER MET ONE BEFORE.”

“In the  _flesh_ ,” you reply. Blue actually giggles at this pun, and his brother is doubled over in laughter next to their sentry-station-in-progress.

“best. human. ever,” declares the tall skeleton. “i’m Papyrus, by the way, but everyone calls me Stretch because of the growth spurts.” He gestures at his lanky frame.

“PAPY HOGGED ALL OF THE GROWTH SPURTS,” Blue points out dryly. “I GOT THE  _SHORT_  END OF THE STICK.”

There’s a lengthy pause after Blue makes his pun. Suddenly, the three of you burst into raucous laughter.

“I REALLY DO LIKE PUNS,” confesses Blue, “BUT PAPY ONLY MAKES LAZY ONES ABOUT SNOW AND SKELETONS.”

“what can i say, they’re  _humerus_!”

Blue groans, but you and Stretch share a smile. After a moment, Blue clears his proverbial throat, bringing the conversation back on track.

“IF YOU’RE A HUMAN, THOUGH, THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE CAPTURING YOU!” He reaches forward and very gently takes your hand.

“I, THE SANSATIONAL SANS, ROYAL-GUARD-IN-TRAINING, HAVE CAPTURED YOU, HUMAN!” Blue announces before adding: “NOW ALPHYS WILL HAVE TO MAKE ME AN OFFICIAL ROYAL GUARD!”

“you might not want to take the human to Alphys, bro. she’s a little intense,” advises Stretch.

“YOU’RE RIGHT. SHE TAUGHT ME SO MANY BATTLE TECHNIQUES, BUT CATCHING A HUMAN WAS EASY! I DIDN’T EVEN GET TO USE MY PUZZLES!” Blue pouts.

**[ Ask Blue to show you his battle techniques (FIGHT) ][ Ask to see Blue’s puzzles (MERCY) ][ Remind them that they still need to repair the sentry station (FLEE) ]**


	25. Underswap (Part 4)

You can’t deny that you’re curious about Blue’s battle techniques. You think he probably uses bone attacks, and your muscles seem to recall dodging those once upon a time. Have you met other skeleton monsters before today? You don’t think so, but everything about these two screams familiarity.

Stretch leans against one of the poles of the unfinished sentry station, and Blue is listing off all of the awesome puzzles that he wishes you would’ve encountered before your fateful capture. He’s still holding your hand. You could easily break free, but your capture means so much to the short skeleton, as much to him, perhaps, as having you solve the puzzles that he’s painstakingly crafted.

**[ You ask to see Blue’s puzzles. ]**

“Just because I’m captured doesn’t mean you can’t show me the puzzles. I am your prisoner, remember?”

Blue’s eyes sparkle and shine, and Stretch beams, giving you a double thumbs up. He grabs the cardboard roof for the sentry station and quickly and easily fastens it into place. It takes him less than a minute, and now you suspect that he deliberately goofed off before just to spend time tormenting his brother with puns.

You don’t have any more time to think about it though because Blue shouts “COME ON!” and takes off down the path at a run, dragging you along behind him by the arm. You can barely keep up.

“slow down, bro,” calls Stretch. “you know these creaky, old bones aren’t as quick as they used to be.”

“PAPY, YOU’RE NOT EVEN OLD!” Blue scolds, but he slows his pace, allowing Stretch to catch up. You’re sure the tall skeleton can move pretty fast with those long legs, so you give him a small nod of gratitude for preventing Blue from accidentally dislocating your arm with his exuberance.

The three of you come to a halt in front of a large field covered with a sheet of smooth blue ice. Small piles of snow and boulders dot the glassy surface. This could be an ice rink if not for all of the obstacles in the way.

“OH NO,” exclaims Blue in disbelief. “PAPY, WE FORGOT TO RECALIBRATE THE PUZZLE AFTER WE PLAYED WITH… I MEAN, TESTED IT!”

“ _snow_  problem, bro, just show the human one of your other puzzles,” suggests Stretch. “i really like the NTT brand one we worked on this morning.” The way that Stretch said “worked on” led you to believe they’d been playing with that puzzle too.

“MAYBE WE SHOULD SKIP RIGHT TO THE BRIDGE OF DESTINY! THAT’S MY FAVORITE PUZZLE! PAPY AND I DESIGNED IT, AND I BUILT IT ALL MYSELF!” He looks so proud and excited. “IT’S A SHAME QUEEN TORIEL OUTLAWED FLAMETHROWERS… AND GIANT SAW BLADES… BUT A ROYAL GUARD KNOWS HOW TO IMPROVISE!”

What have you gotten yourself into?

**[ Pass on the rest of the puzzles (Go to Snowdin) ][ Ask to try the NTT brand puzzle (Choose Stretch) ][ Ask to try the Bridge of Destiny (Choose Blue) ]**


	26. Underswap (Part 5)

You consider each of the skeletons’ proposals. The NTT puzzle sounds much safer than the Bridge of Destiny honestly, but Blue obviously worked hard to create his own custom puzzle. Stretch has an air of casual indifference about your decision, but Blue looks ready to burst with excitement at the thought of showing you his Bridge of Destiny. You can’t bring yourself to disappoint him.

**[ You decide to try the Bridge of Destiny. ]**

“Wow, the Bridge of Destiny sounds awesome! Lead the way, Blue!” You inject as much enthusiasm as you can into your words, and you’re rewarded by Blue pumping his fist and leaping into the air. Stretch smiles at you. It’s clear that seeing his brother happy makes him happy as well.

“WOO-HOO,” yells Blue, bounding away from you only to circle back. “I ALMOST FORGOT! THE NTT PUZZLE IS ON THE WAY TO THE BRIDGE PUZZLE! WE CAN DO BOTH!” Blue takes your hand again and leads you along the snow-strewn path with Stretch following along behind.

“not long un- _tile_  we get there,” the lanky skeleton comments. You shoot him a confused glance. “you’ll get the  _pun_ chline in a minute,” he says with a wink.

True to his word, a curve in the path reveals a tile puzzle with a control panel next to it. For some reason the phrase “robot programmed to kill humans” enters your mind, but it’s gone in a flash. You trust these two skeletons who have been nothing but gentle and humorous towards you so far.

Blue hurries over to the control panel and flips some switches. Music plays, and strobe lights flash. The tiles start lighting up in patterns, and each lit up tile has an arrow on it pointing to the next tile that will light up. The whole set up reminds you of the game Dance, Dance Revolution.

Stretch pulls a bear-shaped honey bottle out of his hoodie pocket, takes a gulp from it, and hands it to you.

“here, hold my  _bear_ , and i’ll show you how it works.” You tuck the honey bear into the pocket of your jacket that isn’t inexplicably filled with random objects and watch the demonstration.

For a skeleton who claimed to have “creaky old bones,” Stretch is agile, moving easily from tile to tile to the catchy beat of the music and finishing the puzzle with an unnecessary and undignified amount of butt-shaking. You and Blue cheer for his victory.

“PAPY IS REALLY GOOD AT THIS PUZZLE; THAT’S WHY IT’S HIS FAVORITE,” explains Blue. Stretch takes a bow and steps aside.

“i’m flattered, Blue, but you know you’re the absolute best at this puzzle.” Stretch leans towards you and says in a conspiratorial but very loud stage whisper: “he could do this puzzle with his eyes closed.”

Blue giggles, and a faint blue blush appears on his round cheeks. “PAPY, STOP. I JUST WATCH A LOT OF NTT SPECIALS, SO I KNOW ALL OF THE SONGS!”

You join Stretch in encouraging Blue to show off his best moves, and after a quick whispered discussion with his brother over which song to pick, Blue joins you at the puzzle’s starting point.

The song Blue chose is fast and complicated, but Blue moves across the tiles (with his eyes closed as suggested) confidently and with flair.

Now it’s Blue’s turn to be applauded and cheered for, and he hides a face behind his bandana at all of the attention. His cheeks are glowing such a bright blue that you can see it through the fabric.

You prepare to face the dancing puzzle next, and you’re a bit unsure. Stretch and Blue made it look easy, but they’ve obviously spent a lot of time “testing” the machine. You ask a quick question before you get started: “What happens if I miss a tile?”

“LASERS,” the two skeletons reply calmly. Upon closer inspection, you do notice some faint scorch marks on some of the lighter colored tiles. Your uncertainty increases, but you don’t back down. Stretch selects a song that’s slow and rhythmic.  _Perfect_. You can do this.

You hop onto the first lit up tile and progress through the song, hopping from tile to tile along to the beat of the music. You’re actually having fun until you overstep and the tile beneath your foot becomes an ominous flashes red. You flinch, expecting lasers to vaporize you at any moment.

“KEEP GOING!” shouts Blue, and you open one eye in time to see him dismissing the bone attack he used to block the laser beam. You step on the correct tile and continue the game, but soon you misstep a second time. The tile under your foot lights up red.  _Oh, no!_

“keep going,” murmurs a voice next to your ear, and you feel hoodie-clad arms around you, lifting you up and placing you on a safe tile before dissolving into thin air. How did he do that? You complete the song without missing another step, thankful for the skeleton brothers’ intervention.

Stretch and Blue alternate between choosing their favorite songs and escorting you through the intricate steps of the puzzle, twirling, dipping, and even lifting you in an attempt by each of them to be even more outrageous than the other until the ambient light in the sky dims and the three of you are gasping out huge clouds of crystallized breath like runaway locomotives in the chilly air.

“IF YOU’RE TIRED, WE CAN SKIP THE LAST PUZZLE AND GO INTO TOWN,” Blue suggests, forcing his tone to be neutral though you can still hear a hint of disappointment in it.

“There is no way I’m missing your special puzzle,” you tell Blue firmly. Exhausted or not, you’re going to complete the Bridge of Destiny puzzle!

“I’LL MAKE SURE IT’S READY,” Blue shouts, barreling down the path.

“you look like you’re about ready to drop, honey. how about i carry you to the bridge?” You’re grateful for Stretch’s offer. Your legs feel like jelly from all of the dancing and walking. Stretch gives you a piggyback ride to his brother’s magnum opus, and you are stunned by it.

The massive bridge spans two tall cliffs, looming over a teeny, tiny town barely visible below. Blue strikes a heroic pose on the opposite side of the bridge. His hands are balled into fists and placed firmly on his hips, and his chest is puffed out proudly. Stretch sets you down carefully, making sure your legs are steady underneath you before teleporting away to join his brother.

“YOUR FINAL CHALLENGE IS TO CROSS THE BRIDGE OF DESTINY… IF YOU DARE!” Blue calls to you.

You dare.

You place one foot firmly on the bridge. It’s well-built and doesn’t creak or sway. You exhale sharply in relief and proceed. What appears to be four flamethrowers are set up at intervals on both sides of the bridge, and you watch them carefully to see what their firing pattern is so you can dodge them. The flamethrowers activate… and blast orange, yellow, and red glitter into the air.

You scurry through the rain of glitter, trying to avoid it as much as possible, but you’re sure your already full pockets are now overflowing with the stuff. You hear hissing and clicking ahead of you. Are there pincers? Insects? No. It seems that the now-outlawed spinning sawblades have been replaced with oscillating sprinklers. You time your next move and manage to get past them without a soaking.

The next obstacle before you is a swinging guillotine, but the blades on the pendulums are actually pillows. They swing slowly enough that you have no trouble evading the plush looking pillows. You wonder if it would even hurt to be struck by them.

You’re almost done, and the two skeletons are rooting for you exuberantly. There’s only one thing left to overcome- a large missing portion of the bridge. You stare down into the dizzying depths beyond the end of the bridge. How can Blue and Stretch expect you to conquer this?

They’re chanting “JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!” but you doubt you can jump that far even with a running start.

Blue cups his hands over his mouth and calls out to you: “I BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN!” and Stretch adds: “you can do it, honey!”

Their faith fills you with determination, and you back up, run forward, and leap with all of your might… only to fall woefully short. Your stomach twists, and your vision tunnels to focus on the snow-capped roofs of the houses below. It’s a long way down, but you never get there. Instead, you find yourself sprawled flat on a rocky surface that’s flush with the clifftop where the skeleton brothers stand.

Stretch is laughing uproariously, and Blue is rushing over to hug you. “YOU DID IT!”

You open your mouth. You close your mouth. You don’t know what to say. “B-but the bridge” is all you can stammer,

“IT’S ALL JUST A SMOOTH, ROCK PORTION OF THE PATH,” boasts Blue. “I PAINTED ALL OF IT TO LOOK LIKE A CLIFF AND BRIDGE MYSELF!”

“and you trusted us enough to jump,” chips in Stretch, “so you aced the puzzle.”

Blue unpins an insignia from his shirt and fastens it to your jacket. “YOU EARNED IT,” he tells you.

“You tricked me,” you accuse them, regaining some of your senses. “I thought I was going to die!” Their smiles disappear. “That’s insane.!” They frown. “That’s crazy amazing, Blue! You’re so talented!” The smiles return, and both skeletons pat your back.

“WE WOULDN’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU, HUMAN,” Blue reassures you. “BESIDES, QUEEN TORIEL DECREED THAT ALL MONSTER PUZZLES MUST BE NON-LETHAL AND MINIMALLY HARMFUL!” Your heart is still racing, but you nod.

“let us make it up to you, honey. i’ll take you for some spiced spider cider at Muffet’s,” offers Stretch.

“I DON’T REALLY LIKE MUFFET’S. HOW ABOUT WE PICK UP SOME TEA AND PASTRIES FROM GRILLBY’S,” Blue counters.

“eww, tea.” Stretch blows a raspberry at Blue.

**[ Insist that you need to rest (Go with both brothers to Snowdin) ][ Drink spiced Spider Cider (Go with Stretch; meet Muffet) ][ Eat pastries and drink tea (Go with Blue; meet Grillby) ]**


	27. Underswap (Part 6)

Though your near death experience had turned out to be a lot farther from death than you expected, it still leaves you feeling extremely exhausted. Tea sounds nice, but so does spiced spider cider, which you are sure (without knowing why) contains absolutely no spiders. You just can’t imagine calmly sitting in a restaurant or cafe, nonchalantly sipping a beverage while parts of your life that you only vaguely remember flash randomly before your eyes.

**[ You tell the skeleton brothers that you’re tired and need to rest. ]**

“I appreciate the offers, but I have to pass. Your puzzles wore me out, and I think I need a break before we do anything else.”

Stretch and Blue exchange worried glances.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT HUMAN? I KNOW HEALING MAGIC IF YOU NEED IT,” Blue offers, moving in close to you and resting his hand under your elbow as if you might topple over any second.

You shake your head. “I just need to rest for a moment. I’ll be fine.” You don’t mention that the prospect of dying is taxing on the human body. You don’t want to hurt their feelings.

“we’ll take you back to our house so you can sit down, ok honey?” Stretch steps up to your other side after speaking, but he waits for your response before he acts. Sitting down sounds like a luxurious experience right about now, so you agree.

Stretch takes your hand in his. His bones are pleasantly warm from spending most of their time in his pockets. Blue narrows his sockets.

“PAPY, DON’T-”

Colors, lights, and sounds swirl and dissipate into darkness. Reality forms around you once more, but the setting has changed. You’re disoriented and slightly nauseous as if you just rode a twisting and turning amusement park ride with a blindfold on.

“-TELEPORT!” Blue scolds, coming into focus slowly. “IT WILL MAKE THE HUMAN DIZZY!”

Your head throbs, and the room spins as you collapse into Stretch’s conveniently placed arms. The lanky skeleton picks you up bridal-style and carries you to a cozy-looking couch. Blue rearranges some throw pillows so that Stretch can lay you down comfortably. Blue rushes to the closet and grabs a blanket to throw over you though the house is much warmer than the outside temperature where you were before.

You burrow into the plush couch cushions, pulling the blanket around you. You’re feeling better already. Stretch and Blue move their coffee table out of the way so that they can sit down in front of the couch. Blue cranes his neck to look at you with his big blue eyelights.

“ARE YOU RECOVERING ADEQUATELY, HUMAN?” he asks. You chuckle and nod, enjoying your blanket cocoon.

“sorry about teleporting without warning you,” says Stretch, rubbing the back of his skull with one hand. “i just wanted to get you inside as quickly as possible.” You tell Stretch that you appreciate his thoughtfulness.

“IF YOU WANT TO REST MORE, WE CAN WATCH AN NTT SPECIAL,” suggests Blue. “OR I CAN COOK SOME FOOD FOR YOU IF YOU’RE HUNGRY.”

“or you can take a nap if you’re not feeling up to it right now.”

“FOR ONCE YOUR PENCHANT FOR NAPS IS A USEFUL OPTION, PAPY,” Blue exclaims in feigned shock. Stretch laughs.

“the NTT specials are actually pretty good, and Blue loves to cook so it’s up to you, honey,” he tells you.

Both skeletons stare at you expectantly.

**[ Take a couch nap with Stretch (Flirt with Stretch) ][ Watch the NTT special with both brothers (Do not flirt) ][ Ask Blue to cook for you (Flirt with Blue) ]**


	28. Underswap (Part 7)

You’re pretty sure that there won’t be anything on the NTT special that you haven’t already heard during the dancing puzzle with the skeleton brothers. You’re interested in trying Blue’s cooking, especially when the mere mention of making dinner for you has his big blue eyelights sparkling with excitement. For some reason, though, you feel like you’ve already eaten two meals recently, and the siren song of a couch nap is just too alluring to resist.

**[ You choose to take a couch nap. ]**

“Tasting your cooking sounds like a dream come true, Blue, but I think I’m just too tired to appreciate your culinary skills in the fullest at the moment. Can I take a post-nap raincheck?”

“OF COURSE,” says Blue, elbowing Stretch where his stomach would be if he wasn’t a skeleton, “AND LOOK, PAPY! YOUR NAP EXPERTISE WILL ACTUALLY BE HELPFUL FOR ONCE!”

“i am a certified master of naps,” brags Stretch, pulling a slip of paper out of his hoodie pocket. The words “certified nap master” are written on it in a messy scribble, and there’s a honey stain on the corner.

“These are clearly legitimate credentials,” you comment, deadpan.

“WELL, I’M OFF TO WATCH SOME TRAINING ANIMES WITH ALPHYS. TAKE CARE OF OUR HUMAN UNTIL I RETURN,” instructs Blue, ignoring both Stretch’s certificate and your reaction to it.

“maybe don’t mention the human to Alphys though,” calls Stretch as he pulls off his hoodie to reveal a tank top that says  _Nap King_  with the G crossed off with a black Sharpie marker. There appears to be fingerprint-sized smears of old food on it. When he removes his shorts, he has soft fleecy shorts with smiling clouds printed on them underneath. Was he wearing pajamas under his clothes the entire day?

“SHE DOES FEEL AWFULLY MURDER-Y TOWARDS HUMANS,” muses Blue. “SHE ALWAYS DESCRIBES THEM AS CRUEL AND RUTHLESS TOO, BUT OUR HUMAN ISN’T LIKE THAT.” He looks right at you and speaks softly for the first time since you met him. “You’re cute and kind. Don’t worry, I won’t mention you to Alphys!”

“meanwhile, as the official nap director of the house, it saddens me to inform you that you are doing it incorrectly!”

You scowl at him and consider challenging him for nap supremacy because you know for a fact you are perfectly situated for maximum naptime with the comfy couch beneath you and the blanket wrapped securely around you. You even have a pillow perfectly positioned and ready to carry you away to Sleep Town, population: You.

“The only thing wrong with my nap skills is that I haven’t started yet!” you protest indignantly.

“sorry, honey, but the first rule of napping is that you should always have a nap buddy. lucky for you, i’m here to prevent any nap-related disasters.” Stretch winks, then somehow manages to hop over the back of the couch and wedge himself under you! You’d complain, but for a skeleton, he feels an awful lot like an extremely plush body pillow, and he smells like honey and citrus.

You allow him into your blanket cocoon, and he wraps his arms lightly and respectfully around you to keep you from rolling off of the couch. As you nestle into his embrace, you notice that he’s actually pleasantly warm. Your eyelids are already drooping with exhaustion.

Blue leans in and gives each of you a skeleton kiss by pressing his teeth to your foreheads before barreling out the door on his own errands. You’re asleep before the door closes behind him.

* * *

A deep, rumbling chuckle awakens you as it vibrates gently through your entire body. You open your eyes to see Stretch staring at you with a fond smile on his face. He’s been watching you sleep! You hope you didn’t drool.

“you drooled in your sleep. it was adorable.”

_Crap._

“aww, don’t make that face, honey. look, my shirt absorbed most of it, and i’ll just brush the rest away.” Stretch uses his thumb to wipe your face, but he lets the touch linger. You blush at his tenderness, and you can see an orange tinge creeping up his cheekbones as well.

“my bro called. Alphys is pulling an all-night anime binge, so we’re on our own for a bit. i can text him that you’re awake, and he’ll come home to cook for you.” He takes a deep breath. “or i can call in a favor from Muffet, and we can have a private dinner, just us, like… maybe…” He clears his throat even though he doesn’t have one. He’s obviously nervous. “… a date?”

Stretch can’t even meet your eyes as he awaits your decision in apprehensive silence.

**[ Ask Stretch to text Blue (Be friends with Stretch, flirt with Blue) ][ Tell Stretch you’d rather stay friends, but wait for Blue (Be friends with Stretch, possibly meet Grillby) ][ Date Stretch (Date Stretch, meet Muffet) ]**


	29. Underswap (Part 8)

You feel a pang of guilt. You really want to try Blue’s cooking, but you also don’t want to interrupt his movie night with Alphys. Besides, Stretch is right here with you, and he’s so very sweet and pretty darn adorable too. How does he manage to look so rumpled from sleep without hair? Well, Blue can make lunch tomorrow if he’s up to it. Tonight, you’ve made your decision.

**[ You accept Stretch’s offer of a date. ]**

“really? i mean, of course you’d date me,” he says, rubbing the back of his skull and laughing nervously. He hops off the couch, pulling his clothing back on over his pajamas and scooping up his phone, presumably to text Muffet.

“i’m sure Muffet will let us have a private dinner for two even though it’s after hours. i know she’s always on me about my tab, but we really get along great,” Stretch babbles as his phalanges tap away at the keys.

“How high is your tab,” you ask, genuinely curious. Stretch’s only response is another nervous laugh.

“she said yes,” Stretch informs you a moment later, sweeping you up in one arm and twirling you around quickly before showing you the  message on his phone.

_I’LL HAVE CANDLES SET UP IN THE CORNER BOOTH IN 15 MINUTES, BUT THIS IS GOING ON YOUR TAB, PAPYRUS!_

The signature is a spider emoji and a crown emoji.

Stretch puts his hand on his hip and wiggles his elbow at you invitingly. “shall we?” he offers in an exaggerated prim and proper voice.

“Indubitably,” you respond, matching his tone. You wrap your arms around his extended elbow and allow him to escort you next door to Muffet’s Bar and Restaurant.

The lighting is purposefully dimmed to indicate that the bar is closed for business, but a warm glow emanates from the kitchen, and you can see flickering candlelight reflected from one of the booths in the back.

Stretch taps gently on the door, and a melodic voice from within calls out: “It’s open, dearie.” Your thoughtful date holds the door open for you, taking an extravagant and extremely unnecessary bow that makes you smile. You curtsy before entering the restaurant.

“you’re a- _door_ -able,” Stretch whispers as you pass him, and you blush at the unexpected compliment. You hope he can’t see your cheeks burning in the muted lighting as you make a beeline for the secluded booth.

A spider emerges from the kitchen and meets you at your table, but this is no ordinary spider. The proprietor of the bar, Muffet, is a petite and lovely spider monster. She has pale lilac skin and five merrily twinkling eyes. Her inky hair is gathered up in pigtails, but she appears crisp and professional in slacks, suspenders, and a button-down shirt. Though you’re usually not fond of spiders, you would make an exception for Muffet anyday.

Stretch lowers you onto the cushioned bench seat and scoots in across from you. The flames from the candles make his bones glow in rich, warm tones that suit him perfectly. Muffet air kisses both of his cheekbones when she reaches the table.

“Spider Cider to get you started,” says Muffet, pouring an oversized mug for each of you from a carafe she’s carrying in one of her arms. You can smell the scent of the spices rising up on the steam.

“It smells wonderful,” you compliment her before taking a sip and warming your hands on the sides of the mug, “and it tastes even better!”

“Ahuehuehue,” Muffet chuckles, “thank you, dear. You’re so kind. If you ever tire of hanging with the local riffraff-” Muffet winks two of her eyes at Stretch. “-you’re welcome to stop by anytime.”

“hey,” huffs Stretch indignantly, and Muffet hides another laugh behind one of her hands.

“Actually, you’ve chosen quite well for yourself, dearie,” Muffet concedes. “Papyrus here has been helping me for years by bringing my spiders to me from the Ruins. Poor darlings, it’s much too cold for them to travel to Snowdin alone.” The praise is too much for Stretch, and he tries to hide his face in his hoodie.

“two orders of your best burger and fries please,” Stretch mumbles from his fabric sanctuary.

“I have a fresh batch of honey buns in the oven just for you,” replies Muffet.

Stretch emerges from his hiding place, unable to resist the possibility of a pun. “there’s only one pair of honey  _buns_  i’m interested in, right honey?” He gives you the old double finger guns and several winks until you snort with laughter.

Muffet sighs, but as she walks away, you can hear her comment: “You have excellent taste.” Though her words could easily be about your bread choices, you have the distinct feeling that she’s actually talking about your date choice.

“Spider rescue. Hilarious puns. Cardboard carpentry. A PhD in nap sciences. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“it’s actually a PhD in nap arts,” Stretch sasses before becoming serious. “honestly, you’re the only one other than Blue who’s even been impressed with me before. every monster in the Underground knows me, but nobody really takes the time to get to know me, y’know? i’m not like Blue. he stands out. he shines. he’s a real star. i’ll never be that confident or that memorable. i shouldn’t have asked you out on this date. you’re missing out on a chance to flirt with my brother.”

You reach across the table and take both of his hands in yours. They fit together perfectly. You meet Stretch’s worried expression with one of warmth and sincerity. “You’re a little too tall to be standing in Blue’s shadow, Stretch. It’s ok to want things for yourself. Besides, I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t like you.” You wonder if Muffet spiked the Spider Cider because you’re being unusually upfront with the tall skeleton in front of you.

Stretch leans in close to you, and when he speaks, his voice is husky and low.

“you’ve got a little something right here, honey,” he murmurs, cupping your cheek in one outstretched hand.

“But we haven’t even eaten anything yet!” you protest about a nanosecond before you realize he plans to kiss you.

**[ *ACT > FIGHT (Kiss Stretch) ][ *ACT > SPARE (Let Stretch kiss you) ][ FLEE (Tell Stretch you’re not ready to kiss yet) ]**


	30. Underswap (Finale: Guess what? It's the Anti-Void!)

Stretch hesitates once he leans halfway across the table. You aren’t sure if his nerves are getting the best of him or if he’s just politely giving you the option to turn him down. His thumb is stroking your cheek, soft and warm, but he waits. What if thinks your words are a rejection of his advances? You definitely want to kiss him, and you worry that he might think you prefer Blue. You have to do something, so you act.

**[ ACT > FIGHT ]**

Seizing the initiative with both hands, you quickly half-stand in your seat and press your lips to Stretch’s mouth. The last thing you see before you close your eyes and sink into the kiss is the bright orange blush flaring to life on his cheekbones. You swear you can hear Muffet’s melodic laughter somewhere in the background as well, but the world is melting around you because, as it turns out, Stretch is an excellent kisser.

The hand resting on your cheek holds your face steady as Stretch slowly begins to move his mouth against yours. What began as a tentative kiss quickly deepens into something intense and passionate. You’re not even sure where your own hands are resting, and you desperately hope you haven’t knocked your hot Spider Cider into Stretch’s lap.

You never realized that skeletons could form tongues (or did you?) until you feel Stretch brushing your lips with his. You open your mouth slightly, and he ever so cautiously mimics the movement. Your breath hitches as your tongues meet; you can taste honey and spiced cider and just a bit of desperate longing.

You can taste… honey… and spices…

Were you tasting something?

You open your eyes to an infinite landscape of glaring whiteness.

You feel like you were interrupted in the middle of something, but you can’t remember anything prior to being here. You reach up and touch your lips, chasing a phantom sensation, but the memory has already fled, disappearing into the confines of your mind, unable to be retrieved.

You find the sudden lack of memories more disturbing than your surroundings. There’s nothing here, wherever here is, but you’re absolutely certain that there should be. Though you don’t remember anything specific, you know that you came here from somewhere else. This blank space isn’t natural to you.

Trying to force your memories to surface only causes a faint sense of anxiety within you. Your past is as empty as the air (is it even air?) around you. All you can do is move… forward? You’re not even sure of directions since there isn’t any frame of reference here. You’re confused and disoriented, and you experience a driving need to find… something… someone maybe.

You start to walk, and you’re not sure how much time has passed (if any at all) when you notice a dark blotch interrupting the seemingly unchanging nothingness around you. You chart a course without being certain how far away the blotch is or even how big it is. Maybe you’ll never reach it. Maybe it’s a hallucination, but at least you have a destination to aim for.

The blotch grows as you get closer. Once you are standing directly in front of it, you can see that it is only visible from this one angle. The edges are ragged. It looks like a tear in the reality (or unreality) of this place. The interesting thing is that you can see pretty well into the rift, and it smacks of familiarity.

Snow. A forest. A path. Nothing you see through the portal surprises you in the least, as if it belongs here or you’ve seen it before.You don’t sense any danger, but you do feel a strong urge to enter the portal. Maybe you’ll find some answers on the other side. You sure hope so as you step from the all-encompassing emptiness onto a path covered in a thick layer of crunchy snow.

You can travel left or right, and you take in the crisp cold temperature of the air, the scent of pine trees, and the soft whispers of the forest, positive that you made the right choice. You peer down the path to the left, then turn and squint to the right. The trees block most of the light from overhead, so you can’t make a decision based on sight.

Skeletons. An image of skeletons pops into your mind. One is short and stocky; the other is tall and lean. There isn’t any doubt in your mind that there are skeleton monsters in this forest, yet you aren’t afraid. Skeleton monsters don’t frighten you in the slightest; you actually consider them… safe? In fact, you’re a bit eager to meet them and attempt to solve the mystery of your memory loss once and for all.

**[Walk to the left and meet a short skeleton (Meet Sans) ][ Walk to the right and meet a tall skeleton (Meet Papyrus) ][ Stay where you are and shout hello (Let the skeletons come to you) ]**


	31. Undertale (Part 1)

You don’t trust your knowledge or your memories to last. You can’t recall any information about where the skeletons are, you only know that they are somewhere in the forest, along this path, and you need to talk to them before you forget that they even exist. You swing your head from side to side, but neither direction will divulge its secrets. Maybe instead of looking for them, you can bring them to you?

**[ You shout “Hello!” into the empty air. ]**

Your voice echoes, tossed back and forth through the trees until it fades away to a ghostly whisper. You wait, and as you wait, a numbness settles over your thoughts. You blink slowly. Cold seeps in through your jacket. Why are you standing here on this snowy path?

You must be lost because you don’t recognize your surroundings or have any explanation for how you arrived in the middle of a winter-kissed woodland.

A rustling sound off to your right catches your attention. You turn your head in time to see a skull with two sparkling eyes watching you from the bushes with what appears to be two red gloved hands stifling an excited gasp. Caught in the act of spying, the creature in the bushes stands up, revealing himself to be a tall skeleton wearing strangely rounded chest armor and extremely short shorts paired with red boots, scarf, and gloves.

“SANS IS THAT A HUMAN?” the skeleton monster shouts, pointing at you, but speaking to someone presumably behind you.

You look over your shoulder and spot another skeleton monster. This one is short, wearing a hoodie, a dingy white shirt, basketball shorts… and slippers with socks despite the prevalent snow around him. The short skeleton shrugs.

“nah, Paps, that’s a tree,” he answers.

“NO, NOT THE TREE, SANS. THERE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.”

The short skeleton leans forward and peers incredulously at the snow around his feet. “no humans there either, bro.”

You experience a surreal moment of deja vu as you fight to hold back a snort of laughter at the two skeletons’ antics. Their banter feels so familiar.

The tall skeleton stomps up to his brother. He points at you, but before he can ask his question again, Sans speaks in his deep but unhurried voice.

“oh, that human.”

“Hi,” you say, waving.

“HELLO, HUMAN,” responds the tall skeleton automatically. “PLEASE EXCUSE ME A MOMENT WHILE I SPEAK WITH MY BROTHER.”

“i’m all ears.” Sans gestures at his very earless skull.

“THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR TOMFOOLERY, SANS. YOU’RE A SENTRY. YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING FOR HUMANS!”

Sans nods sagely. “there’s a human,” he says, pointing at you.

You finger wave at the skeletons again.

Papyrus stamps his foot several times before he’s able to compose himself. “I SUPPOSE THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ROYAL GUARD-IN-TRAINING, WILL HAVE TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION MYSELF.”

“Are you going to capture me?” you ask tentatively. For some reason, you suspect that one of the skeletons intends to capture you, and honestly, Sans just doesn’t seem like the type to make that kind of effort, as minimal as it is considering that you’re just standing there and not running away.

“I’LL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT,” says Papyrus, “BUT IT IS A TIME-HONORED MONSTER TRADITION THAT YOU ATTEMPT TO SOLVE MY EXPERTLY CRAFTED PUZZLES FIRST. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PASS THEM, YOU ESCAPE SCOT FREE. IF I PREVAIL, THEN YOU ARE WELL AND TRULY CAPTURED.”

With that lofty declaration, Papyrus strikes a noble pose. His bright red scarf ripples as if there’s a breeze. There is not. The scarf continues to billow, defying all logic and physics.

While you were busy listening to Papyrus’ speech, Sans managed to move close to you without making a sound. You startle, but he gives you a conspiratory wink.

“or you could challenge him to a fight,” he suggests. His hands are in his pockets, and he’s observing you with an unusual expression, as if he’s trying to figure you out. “if you’ve already seen the puzzles, that is…”

How would you have seen the puzzles already? You open your mouth to explain that exact point when a vague sense of deja vu washes over you again. Puzzles. Traps. A bridge maybe? You’re not certain that you  _haven’t_  seen the puzzles before.

What is happening to you?

_… and what does Sans know about it?_

**[ Ask Sans what he means (Talk to Sans) ][ Challenge Papyrus to battle (Fight Papyrus) ][ Agree to see the puzzles (Puzzles!) ]**


	32. Undertale (Part 2)

You realize that you’ve been squinting suspiciously at Sans for quite a bit longer than could technically be considered polite, and he’s staring right back at you. His figurative ear-to-ear grin becomes increasingly unsettling as the seconds tick by.

**[ You ask Sans what he means in hopes of getting some answers. ]**

“aww, c’mon, buddy. Don’t you know how to greet an old friend?” The stocky skeleton extends his hand to you. Is he a friend? You don’t sense any dangerous intentions from either skeleton, but you don’t know them at all… or you don’t think you do…  _Do you_?

You shake Sans’ outstretched hand. You never expect what happens next.

_PHBBBBT!_

“SANS!” scolds Papyrus. “THAT HAD BETTER NOT BE YOUR WHOOPIE CUSHION JAPE AGAIN!”

“it’s better than the alternative,” jokes Sans.

“SKELETONS DO  _NOT_  BREAK WIND, SANS!” howls Papyrus. You can’t help giggling. “DO YOU FIND MY BROTHER  _HUMERUS_ , HUMAN?”  Papyrus asks you with a wink.

You smile at him. Something about his height, humor, and over-the-top personality resonates with familiarity, and you like it. Unfortunately, Sans interrupts the moment before you can respond to Papyrus with a pun of your own.

“hey bro, why don’t you go on ahead and make sure all of your puzzles are calibrated properly? me and the human here will catch up in a few minutes,” suggests Sans.

“AN EXCELLENT IDEA, BROTHER! I MUST MAKE SURE THE HUMAN IS PROPERLY PERPLEXED AND CONFOUNDED BY MY MASTERFUL PUZZLES! MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT ESCAPE IN MY ABSENCE!”

“I can’t wait to be both perplexed and confounded, possibly even befuddled,” you call after Papyrus as he dashes away. You hear a raucous “NYEH HEH HEH!” in response to your words though the speaker is already out of sight.

Once Papyrus has fully disappeared down the path, Sans turns to you, and his eyelights have vanished. Seeing his empty sockets is even more unnerving than the too-wide smile that is still stuck on his face.

“my brother is really excited to capture a human, so maybe keep pretending to be one?” he says cryptically.

“Excuse me?” You are so confused.

“i don’t know what you’ve done on the other timelines, but if you hurt-”

“Timelines?” The confusion intensifies.

“whatever happened before you RESET…” Sans explains, clarifying nothing.

“RESET?” You hate that you just keep parroting his words back at him. “I don’t know anything about that. I was hoping you could help me figure out why everything here is so familiar except that I can’t remember why it’s so familiar. I feel like I’ve met you before, but you were somehow different…”

“you don’t remember anything before you got here?” The short skeleton’s demeanor changes; he relaxes and becomes thoughtful, considering your words.

“I came here from a glaring white nothingness… and there was a portal… four portals? I really don’t remember anything.” You start to cry. Your head aches with the strain of trying to pull forth the information. Unconsciously, you run your fingers along the hem of your jacket.

“strange,” Sans comments, more to himself than to you. “i need to go to the lab and do more research…” He pats your shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.”

You scrub the tears from your eyes.

**[ Ask to go to the lab with Sans to find answers (Stay with Sans ONLY) ][ Go see Papyrus’ puzzles while Sans goes to the lab (Go with Papyrus ONLY) ][ Tell Sans you will go to the lab with him after you do Papyrus’ puzzles (Stay with Sans _and_  Papyrus) ]**


	33. Undertale (Part 3)

Though you are practically bursting with the need to solve the mystery of your strange mixture of amnesia and deja-vu, you did tell Papyrus that you’d meet him to try out his puzzles. He was so excited to show you his handiwork that you can’t imagine disappointing him. There will be time for science afterwards.

**[ You tell Sans that you will visit the lab with him after you do Papyrus’ puzzles. ]**

You remind him that he’s the one who suggested doing the puzzles in the first place, but in all honesty, you’d hate to miss out on a chance to participate in the time-honored monster tradition. Sans chuckles.

“ya got me there. my bro loves creating puzzles, and he’s been waitin’ for a human to come along and test them out for a long time.  _snow_  fun makin’ puzzles unless you get to use ‘em, right?” The short skeleton gives you an exaggerated wink as you walk side-by-side down the path to meet Papyrus for the first puzzle.

The tall skeleton waves enthusiastically at you as soon as you round the corner and step into the clearing where his first puzzle is supposedly located. Unfortunately, you have no idea where or what the puzzle is because the clearing is covered with a fine layer of snow. Sans gestures for you to wait at one end of the clearing while he circles along the outside of it, following Papyrus’ boot prints along a cliff edge until the two skeletons stand facing you across the barren expanse in front of you.

Papyrus clears his throat, skull held high and proud as he gives a speech before you begin. He looks downright heroic in his fashionable battle body.

“HUMAN! WELCOME TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS’ PERILOUS AND PUZZLING PROVING GROUNDS! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR HIGH JINKS AND LOW JINKS, CAPERS AND JAPERS, FANTASTIC FUN AND DARING DANGER! REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED AFTERWARDS, OF COURSE!”

“I’m ready,” you declare, energized by Papyrus’ speech. You look around, eager to start the puzzle immediately, but… “So where’s the first puzzle?”

“NYEH HEH HEH, IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, HUMAN,” Papyrus pauses as if giving you a moment to figure out what he means. You remain confused, and it amuses him. “IT’S AN INVISIBLE PUZZLE.” he shouts triumphantly.

“How am I supposed to solve it if I can’t see it?” you ask uncertainly.

“PUZZLES AREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE EASY,” explains Papyrus. You glance at Sans for help, but he just shrugs. “BESIDES, IF YOU MISSTEP AND RUN INTO ONE OF THE WALLS, THE ORB WILL GIVE YOU A HEARTY ZAP TO GUIDE YOU.”

The threat of electrocution sounds uncomfortably familiar. You’re certain none of the items weighing down your pockets is an orb, however. Are you supposed to have it? Did you lose it? “Orb…?” Now you’re echoing Papyrus’ words back at him.

“OH YES, THE ORB!” Papyrus reaches behind him and pulls a glass orb out of seemingly nowhere. The object appears to be frosted from the inside. Papyrus holds it out for you to take, and without thinking, you step forward… right into an invisible wall.

Your mistake causes the orb to send an electric shock through Papyrus’ entire body. He goes completely rigid, and you actually see sparks igniting and jumping from bone to bone. Papyrus sizzles and smokes once the current fades.

“WHAT A  _SHOCKING_  DEVELOPMENT,” he jokes as if nothing happened. “MAYBE  _I_  SHOULD BRING THE ORB TO  _YOU_.”

Papyrus walks confidently through the electricity maze without encountering a single invisible wall. Since your pockets are already full, he places the orb atop your head and follows the exact same path back to Sans, who is silently laughing at the clear trail of footprints he left in his wake.

You tread carefully in Papyrus’ footsteps and manage to avoid any high-voltage mishaps. You hand the orb back to Papyrus with a smile, but you notice thin wisps of smoke still rising from the end of his bright red scarf.

“You’re smoldering,” you point out to him.

Papyrus quickly removes the scarf and stomps it into the snow to extinguish it. When he picks it back up, you can see that the edge is obviously tattered.

“i’m a- _frayed_  it’s ruined, bro,” comments Sans, and Papyrus slumps in defeat. The sight nearly breaks your heart.

**[ Tell Papyrus you think he looks electro- _cute_  without the scarf (Flirt with Papyrus) ][ Say that it’s hard to pa- _tell_ -a at this point and maybe it can be fixed (Comfort Papyrus) ][ Move on to the next puzzle (Say nothing) ][ Ask Sans if you can go to the lab now (Leave with Sans) ]**


	34. Undertale (Part 4)

The sight of a crestfallen Papyrus in comparison to the usual competent and confident puzzle master makes you want to reach out and hug him. Sure you need answers to your memory problems, and yes, you’ve definitely considered flirting with the somehow familiar tall and handsome skeleton. At this point, though, you want nothing more than to comfort him and bring a smile back to his dejected face.

**[ You comfort Papyrus with a pun. ]**

“I dunno, Papyrus. It’s hard to pa- _tell_ -a at this point, but maybe the scarf can be fixed?” You waggle your eyebrows while making the pun, and sure enough, the smile reappears on Papyrus’ face like the best kind of magic trick.

“IT WOULD DEFINITELY  _KNEE_ D SOME WORK,” Papyrus responds. You’re not sure if he intended to pun or not until you hear him chuckling quietly under his breath.

“you shouldn’t challenge us to bone puns, buddy. we know a  _skele-ton_  of them,” Sans jokes, elbowing you.

“AND YOU’RE RIGHT. I’M SURE THE SCARF CAN BE REPAIRED. SANS IS VERY HANDY WITH SUCH THINGS. HE MADE MY BATTLE BODY AFTER ALL!”

You lean in to inspect the quality work on the outfit. Papyrus strikes several poses so that you can admire it from every angle. It looks amazing, and you tell him so. Sans is a bit flustered by the praise from you and Papyrus, and a light blue blush rises on his cheekbones.

“Why did Sans have to make you a battle body though? Don’t Royal Guards have uniforms?” You blurt out the question without thinking and hear Sans inhale sharply.

“ROYAL-GUARD-IN-TRAINING,” corrects Papyrus. You recall, too late, that he already mentioned being a trainee. You hope it isn’t a sore point for him, but his expression indicates that it is.

Sans quickly defuses the situation by explaining his inspiration for the battle body. “i made it as a costume originally. i wanted Papyrus to look as heroic on the outside as he is on the inside.”

“HEROIC IS MY AESTHETIC,” boasts Papyrus. “I COULDN’T BRING MYSELF TO RETIRE SUCH AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF MY GREATNESS. SANS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF CAPTURING MY LIKENESS IN OUTFIT FORM!”

“anything for you, bro.” Sans and Papyrus are simply too cute for words, except for words like adorable and sibling goals that is.

“SPEAKING OF SANS’ EXEMPLARY DEDICATION TO DETAILED AND QUALITY WORK, HE BOTH DESIGNED AND CRAFTED THE NEXT PUZZLE HIMSELF! I’M SURE YOU’LL BE CONFOUNDED BY WHATEVER ENIGMA HE’S CREATED.”

“heh, lead on, bro,” Sans says with a nervous laugh.

You follow the skeleton brothers further along the cliff until you come to another open expanse of unbroken snow. You wonder briefly if you’re facing an invisible puzzle again until you notice a sheet of paper laying in the exact center of the snow field. Frowning, you walk forward, unaccompanied, and pick it up. You hear the hiss of Sans and Papyrus whispering behind you.

“IS THAT YOUR PUZZLE, SANS?”

“yep.”

“YOU’RE SUCH A LAZYBONES! MAYBE YOU SHOULD’VE SKIPPED YOUR NIGHTLY 7-HOUR NAP TO BUILD AN ACTUAL PUZZLE FOR THE HUMAN,” Papyrus scolds in hushed tones, respecting your need to focus on the puzzle.

“that’s called sleep, Paps.”

“NOW YOU’RE JUST MAKING UP WORDS.”

“there are actually several  _up_  words on the puzzle,” Sans chuckles. You ignore them as you solve the word search, going through the word bank and crossing off each word as you locate it. You’ve found all of them, but you still have one question.

“What exactly is  _giasfclfubrehbrer_?” You spell out the strange word instead of trying to pronounce it.

“I’M CERTAIN THAT SANS DEVELOPED AN ELABORATE AND GENIUS CODE TO MAKE HIS PUZZLE MORE DIFFICULT!”

“actually it’s just all of the letters from the first line,” Sans explains with a careless shrug.

“SAAAAAANS!”

You hand the completed word search to Papyrus, who seems to be the one in charge of the puzzles. He scrutinizes it. “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO MAKE SUCH AN ATROCIOUS WORD SEARCH, BROTHER. A JUNIOR JUMBLE WOULD’VE SUFFICED AS A BETTER CHALLENGE.”

“or i could’ve used one of the crosswords from the newspaper.”

“I’M SURE THE HUMAN PREFERS THE JUNIOR JUMBLE.” Papyrus’ tone is scathing. You can’t tell if he dislikes crosswords or just really likes the Junior Jumble.

“i dunno. they haven’t said a  _cross word_  yet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like ‘em.”

The skeletons look at you expectantly, awaiting your verdict on the merits of crossword puzzles versus Junior Jumble puzzles.

**[ Say you prefer the Junior Jumble puzzles (Side with Papyrus) ][ Extol the virtues of crossword puzzles (Side with Sans) ][ Point out that both types of puzzle are good in their own way (Appease everyone) ][ Claim to be too excited for Papyrus’ next puzzle to decide (Avoid the choice entirely) ]**


	35. Undertale (Part 5)

You consider the options. Honestly, you’re not too fond of Junior Jumbles or crosswords, but everyone has their own favorites when it comes to puzzles. Personal preferences don’t make any one puzzle better than another type of puzzle. In the interest of not taking sides and promoting puzzle-loving solidarity, you make a neutral choice.

**[ You point out that all puzzles are good in their own way. ]**

Sans nods along to your verdict, and Papyrus becomes thoughtful, stroking his chin and muttering an uncharacteristically soft “hmm” as he considers your words.

“THAT IS A VERY DIPLOMATIC OBSERVATION, HUMAN! I HAVE NO CHOICE EXCEPT TO AGREE,” he decides. “HOPEFULLY YOUR REMARKABLE INTUITION WILL SERVE YOU WELL ON THE NEXT PUZZLE!”

You and Sans trail along behind Papyrus as he leads you to a narrow canyon with sheer rock walls on either side. In front of you is a suspiciously familiar tile puzzle. A mixture of fear and exhilaration shoots through you. The strange concoction of reactions makes you wonder if you’re about to die of fun.

None of the tiles are lit up currently, but Sans tells you to wait on one side of the tile field while he and Papyrus cross it to the control mechanism on the other side. Your eyes stray to the back panel of the machine, and you notice that it is, in fact, plugged in. You’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, so you wait patiently to find out.

Papyrus toggles a lever, and the machine beeps and boops to life with yellow and red colored lights. Papyrus extracts a pamphlet from his pocket, squinting at it for several minutes before striking yet another heroic pose, tattered scarf still managing to billow despite the continued lack of a breeze. Sans mans the puzzle controls while Papyrus reads the instructions aloud… kind of.

“RED TILES ARE WALLS. YOU CANNOT PASS THEM, AND BECAUSE THIS PUZZLE IS ORB-FREE, THEY WILL NOT SHOCK YOU. PINK TILES ARE PINK, WHICH IS A VERY NICE COLOR THAT DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR THE SAKE OF THIS PUZZLE BUT MAKES A LOVELY ACCENT COLOR IN HOME DECOR. PIRANHAS ARE ALLERGIC TO LEMONS AND LURK BELOW THE WATER, WHICH BRINGS ME TO BLUE TILES. BLUE TILES ARE WATER! THE YELLOW TILES WILL-”

“Does… does this puzzle involve dancing?” The longer you stand in front of the tile, the more your feet itch to move in swirling patterns, hands held firmly in smooth bone ones. You quickly apologize to Papyrus for interrupting his speech, but he waves you off, turning the paper sideways and even upside down as he tries to decipher the tile meanings written on it.

“-LEMON… LEMON IS SOAPY, AND PIRANHAS LIKE PURPLE SLIDES. GREEN TILES AREN’T PINK TILES, AND…” He pauses, squinting so hard you wonder if he actually just closed his sockets entirely. Finally, he throws his hands up in frustration. “I CANNOT READ THIS CHICKEN-SCRATCH!”

“isn’t that your handwriting, bro,” Sans asks innocently. Papyrus ignores his comment.

“ACTIVATE THE PUZZLE! I’M SURE THE HUMAN WILL FIGURE IT OUT!”

Sans presses a button, and the tiles light up. Red tiles border both sides of the puzzle grid, but the center is a solid walkway of pink. Sans winks at you as you tentatively step onto one of the glowing pink tiles. Nothing happens. You quickly cross the pathway to join Papyrus and Sans on the other side.

“HMM,” hums Papyrus. “APPARENTLY THIS PUZZLE WASN’T CHALLENGING ENOUGH FOR YOU, HUMAN! NEVER FEAR, THE NEXT PUZZLE HAS THREE LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY- MODERATELY DIFFICULT, EXTRA DIFFICULT, AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT!”

You wink back at Sans before telling Papyrus that you’re ready. The path to the next puzzle leads you through some snow-capped coniferous trees into a woodland clearing. Boulders have been carefully placed throughout the clearing, and each area is cordoned off with spikes. Next to each outcropping of boulders is an arrangement of blue X’s.

“THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PUZZLE IS TO TRANSFORM EACH BLUE X INTO A RED O. THE BLUE X WILL TURN INTO A RED O IF YOU STEP ON IT ONCE, AND THE RED O WILL RETURN TO A BLUE X IF YOU STEP ON IT AGAIN,” explains Papyrus. “COMPLETE EACH SECTION TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT. IF YOU ARE STYMIED BY A SECTION, YOU CAN FIND THE SECRET SWITCH THAT WILL LET YOU PASS.”

The switch isn’t much of a secret. It’s sitting out in plain sight… not that you’ll need it considering that the first puzzle is two blue X’s. As you step forward to solve the simple puzzle, you begin to giggle.

“Am I turning hugs into kisses or kisses into hugs?” you ask, bemused by your own thoughts.

“PARDON?” Papyrus and Sans both give you confused looks.

“X-O-X-O means hugs and kisses. So are the X’s the hugs or the kisses?”

“X RESEMBLES TWO ARROWS MEETING AT A SINGLE POINT, THE WAY THEY DO IN A KISS ACCORDING TO MY DATING MANUAL. THE O RESEMBLES WRAPPING YOUR ARMS IN A CIRCLE AROUND SOMEONE TO HUG THEM,” Papyrus conjectures confidently.

“i dunno, Paps. the x could be the crossed arms of two people hugging  _each other_ ,” Sans gives you a meaningful glance, “and the o could be some puckered lips.”

Papyrus considers Sans’ explanation. “SKELETONS DO NOT HAVE LIPS, SO IT IS HARD TO TELL. WE MUST CONSULT AN EXPERT!”

Both skeletons turn to you with curious expressions.

“well, which is it?” asks Sans.

**[ Tell Papyrus he is right and give him an X (Kiss Papyrus) ][ Tell Papyrus he is right and give him an O (Hug Papyrus) ][ Tell Sans he is right and give him an X (Hug Sans) ][ Tell Sans he is right and give him an O (Kiss Sans) ][ Say you have no idea (Continue with the puzzles) ]**


	36. Undertale (Part 6)

You ponder the possibility of X’s and O’s. Sans and Papyrus both make valid arguments. XOXO is referred to as hugs and kisses though; does that mean that the X is a hug and the O is a kiss? You originally asked the question as a joke, but now you can’t stop thinking about it. If those two letters represent hugging and kissing, then what are the implications for a game of tic-tac-toe? You make a quick decision before the new thoughts can overwhelm you.

**[ You agree with Sans and give him a quick O on the cheekbone.]**

You expect Sans to be shocked and perhaps even to blush. What you do not expect is to find yourself standing about thirty feet back from where you were with Papyrus explaining the puzzle again.

“-EACH BLUE X INTO A RED O. THE BLUE X WILL TURN INTO A RED O IF YOU… STEP ON IT… ONCE…” Papyrus’ words trail off, and you and the two skeletons stare at each other in confusion.

“I BELIEVE I ALREADY EXPLAINED THIS PUZZLE,” says Papyrus, scratching the back of his skull nervously.

“It’s happening again,” you mumble, before repeating yourself, louder this time, in Sans’ general direction. “It’s happening again! What is going on?”

Papyrus turns to Sans as well. “YOU’RE NOT PRANKING US ACROSS TIME AND SPACE ARE YOU, SANS? IT IS RUDE TO INTERRUPT MANNERLY PUZZLE DISCOURSE,” he scolds.

“it wasn’t me bro. i actually think it was the human.” Sans points at you.

“Me?” you yelp. “I don’t even know what’s happening. I can’t remember anything.” You are on the verge of tears. Sans and Papyrus both step in close to put a comforting arm around you. You avoid their touches, fearful of the consequences.

“IT WILL BE ALRIGHT, HUMAN. AS A FUTURE ROYAL GUARD, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HONOR-BOUND TO PROTECT YOU!”

“i need to go to the Lab to find out what triggered this. you’re sure you didn’t do anything?”

You shake your head. “All I did was kiss-”

Kiss

_KISS_

Memories surge forward, but it is as if they hit a wall before they can fully emerge into the forefront of your mind. Something about kissing…? Kissing skeletons…? The thoughts vanish as quickly as they appeared.

“-your cheek,” you finish absently. You sniffle.

“hey, friendo, no tears now. i’ll figure this out. i promise, and i don’t make promises lightly.” 

This time when the skeletons close in, you allow them to embrace you. Sans gives awkward pat hugs, but Papyrus gives warm, snuggly hugs that instantly make you feel better. With Sans’ promise and Papyrus’ unbeatable hugging technique, you think that things might actually turn out alright.

“would you like to come to Hotland with me and visit the Lab? we could work on your problem together,” offers Sans.

“UGH, HOTLAND. IT IS A STIFLING LAND FULL OF HORRIFIC PUZZLES. SURELY YOU’D RATHER FINISH THE PUZZLES HERE IN SCENIC SNOWDIN,” Papyrus counters.

As you consider the options, your stomach rumbles. It seems you’ll need to eat something wherever you choose to go.

**[ Ignore your hunger and go to the Lab with Sans (Visits the Lab ) ][ Ignore your hunger and finish the puzzles with Papyrus (Finish the puzzles) ][ Ask to eat with Papyrus (Meet Grillby) ][ Ask to eat with Sans (Meet Muffet) ]**


	37. Undertale (Part 7)

You hate abandoning a course of action that you’ve already started. As much as you’d love to keep solving Papyrus’ puzzles, you need answers to the strange events occurring in your life. It pains you to choose one skeleton brother over the other, but you need to put aside both your hunger and your affection in pursuit of the solution to the pressing matter of your amnesia.

**[ You ask Sans if you can join him at the Lab while he does his research. ]**

“ _Tibia_  honest, I think it’s best if I go to the Lab with you, Sans. I don’t want something else to happen. I don’t want to forget again.” Your statement starts out with humor and confidence but ends as a whisper.

“to  _patella_  the truth, it’ll be better to have you in a controlled environment while we get to the bottom of this,” Sans counters, trying to keep the mood light.

Papyrus throws his hands in the air in exasperation. “WHAT A WASTE OF PERFECTLY CALIBRATED PUZZLES,” he cries. You can tell he’s disappointed that you’re leaving, but you don’t have many options. If you stay, everything might fade away to whiteness again. You wish you could promise to come back, but there are no guarantees.

“ready to lend me a  _hand_ , pal?” Sans asks, extending his hand to you. When you take his hand you aren’t at all surprised to discover that his carpals are warm. Somehow you expect it. “i know a shortcut,” explains Sans, but Papyrus quickly catches your jacket sleeve to stop you. When he speaks, he addresses Sans though.

“EXERCISE CAUTION, SANS. UNDYNE MIGHT BE VISITING ALPHYS AT THE LAB, AND YOU KNOW HER FEELINGS ABOUT HUMANS TEND TO BE… WELL, MURDER-Y.”

“you know I hate exercise, bro.” Sans shrugs off the warning.

“I’M SERIOUS,” insists Papyrus.

“hi serious, i’m sans. sans the skeleton.” Sans actually has the audacity to offer Papyrus a handshake. Papyrus stamps his foot in frustration.

Giving up on reasoning with his brother, Papyrus turns to you. He unwraps his damaged scarf from around his neck and carefully arranges it around yours. “IF YOU ENCOUNTER UNDYNE, SHOW HER MY SCARF AND TELL HER THAT YOU ARE MY… FRIEND… IF YOU CONSIDER US TO BE FRIENDS THAT IS,” Papyrus blushes adorably.

You reassure him that you are, in fact, his friend, and he actually gasps, covering his mouth with both gloved hands. His eyes sparkle with pure joy. Once again, you wish you could promise him that you would return. Instead, you squeeze Sans’ hand. “Let’s go.”

The short skeleton doesn’t say a word, and suddenly the world lurches around you. You’re briefly disoriented, and vertigo jolts your stomach. Oh no.  _Oh no!_  You expect the endless nothingness to appear (disappear?) at any moment, but a gust of very hot blasts you. A low hum causes the air around you to vibrate. This is not what you expected.

You and Sans are both standing in a small cavern with red sandstone walls. There’s a metal door with black and yellow cautionary stripes around its border.

“welcome to Hotland,” says Sans, pressing a keypad next to the door. The moniker certainly fits.  _Is that lava outside the cavern?_  You don’t have time to ask questions. With a pneumatic hiss and a puff of much cooler air, the door slides open, and you follow Sans into the Lab.

You wonder why Sans didn’t transport you directly into the Lab, but the second you cross the threshold, you can sense a difference in the air. Maybe it isn’t safe to use his shortcut here? You don’t ask. You’re too busy craning your neck to look around.

You expect a science laboratory to be well-lit, but the hallways are flanked with shadows that seem to breathe. You pass by darkened rooms, but Sans doesn’t even spare them a glance despite the fact that you can hear scratching sounds and incoherent, guttural voices within them.

Sans stops at the end of the hallway in front of a door inscribed with a strange language of symbols. You don’t see an outside handle, lock, or keypad, but wisps of blue drift from Sans’ left socket, and the door creaks open slowly. Sans flicks a switch, throwing the room into blinding relief.

You blink to clear your vision. The room looks like a nightmare vision of a dentist’s office. There are metal gurneys and machines resembling James Bond villain lasers.Giant computer screens line an entire wall of the room with green letters, numbers, and symbols flitting across them in rapid succession.

“What is this?” you ask Sans in a subdued voice.

His eyelights go out, leaving his sockets dark and unsettling. “if i told you, i’d have to kill you,” he replies cryptically. You wonder if you made a fatal mistake following him to this secluded place, but then he bursts out laughing and his eyelights return. “lighten up, friendo. this is where we study SOUL traits, especially the effects of a trait called Determination.”

**[ Ask Sans about the other rooms (Learn about Amalgamates) ][ Ask Sans about Determination (Learn about Determination) ][ Go back to check the other rooms yourself (Explore the Lab) ][ Ask to go back to Snowdin (Return to Snowdin) ]**

* * *

**Epilogue:**

Papyrus frowns when his brother and the human disappear. In his opinion, teleportation is the laziest form of travel. He glances back at his abandoned X and O puzzle. It’s not going to solve itself, that’s for sure. He could simply use the switches to deactivate the spikes blocking the way, but that’s not his style.

The tall and very lonely skeleton walks through all three versions of the puzzle, turning every blue X into a red O to check that the mechanisms are working because he is thorough of course and not at all because he dreads going back into town alone. He hates going to Grillby’s by himself and seeing all of the real Royal Guards crowded around their table, laughing and playing cards, but a nice cold milkshake would sure hit the spot right about now.

Besides, it beat returning to a dark and empty house….


	38. Undertale (Part 8)

You don’t even know where to start. You have so many questions; what should you ask first? Naturally, you are curious about the noises coming from the various rooms lining the hallway. You even briefly considered darting into one of the rooms to see for yourself, but you thought better of confronting a potentially unknown danger. It would be better, you think, to stay with Sans and find out how the SOUL trait of Determination relates to your problem with memory.

**[ You ask Sans about Determination. ]**

He doesn’t answer you right away. Instead, he stares at the ground, and though his eyelights resemble white dots, they manage to appear distant and troubled. It takes him so long to speak that you wonder if he will answer you at all. He does.

“you’ve only known me for a very short time in my current position as the best sentry in Snowdin Forest,” he says, and you feel obligated to interrupt.

“You’re the only sentry I met in Snowdin Forest,” you point out.

“ergo, the best,” he responds amicably. “before that though, i worked as a scientist in the Royal Laboratory. i was involved in the study of SOUL traits, especially human SOUL traits. our greatest breakthrough was the discovery of Determination. monster SOULs do not contain Determination, but every human SOUL, regardless of its component traits, contains some amount of Determination, large or small. it varies.”

Sans steps over to one of the oversized computer monitors and taps some buttons, pulling up a display of human SOULs with different dominant colors corresponding with different SOUL traits. You’re secretly relieved to be looking at a screen with diagrams instead of actual disembodied SOULs. You shiver at the thought.

“experiments were conducted,” Sans continues hesitantly, “experiments that the other scientists and i aren’t exactly proud of. we hoped that Determination, which we calculated to be the strength and drive of human life, could strengthen weak monsters- sick monsters and monsters in danger of falling down… of dusting. the experiments were a disaster. monster SOULs just aren’t meant to hold Determination.”

You open your mouth to ask Sans what happened during the experiments, but he continues talking as if he’s gotten lost in thought and forgotten about your presence. “we tried to dispose of the extracted Determination after our failures, but without a human body and SOUL to control it, Determination leeches into the very magic of time and space and disrupts it.”

“Do you think Determination is causing the lapses in my memory,” you ask Sans softly, bringing him back to reality as gently as possible and reminding him of your particular plight.

“when you first came here, i thought you were using your Determination to manipulate our timeline. i thought you might have bad intentions towards the monsters here… and my brother.”

“I would never-” You protest, but he holds up a hand to silence you.

“if that had been the case, you’d be dead where you stand, but i truly believe that you aren’t controlling what’s going on. i’d like to run a test if you’ll allow me..?”

Sans reaches for a scanner on the desk, holding it up and wiggling it at you. He must sense your trepidation because he smiles, a genuine smile instead of his usual grinning facade. “don’t worry. i won’t hurt you. i’m the weakest monster in the Underground. if you don’t believe me, you can use this device to CHECK.”

Sans places the scanner in your hand. He’s giving you an opportunity to use it on him to prove that it’s safe. Is he really as weak as he claims to be? There is only one way to be certain. You lift up the scanning device, point it at Sans, and press the button.

Sans screams, clutching his skull in agony. You drop the device with a loud clatter and crouch down to check on him. You must have used the device wrong! You’ve somehow hurt Sans! Sans is… Sans is…

_Laughing._

“gotcha!” he crows in delight. You scowl. “i’m fine, and you can check the screen to see my information.”

You peruse the information on the screen. On one side there is a summary of “sans the skeleton” with his monster type (skeleton, how redundant), a timeline identification number that means nothing to you, and information about his family (Brother: Papyrus) and employment (a surprisingly long list that includes hot dog vendor). On the other side of the screen are a list of statistics:

**ATK 1**

**DEF 1**

**HP 1**

_Can only deal 1 damage._

_The weakest monster in the Underground._

That’s twice that Sans has been honest and forthcoming with you. He told the truth about being weak, and the scanner didn’t actually hurt him though you’re still a bit irritated by the prank. He also revealed his frighteningly low hit points to you. You decide to trust him and hand the scanner back. He points it at you and presses the button.

The words  _UNKNOWN HUMAN_  flash across the huge computer screen. You ignore the list of your statistics and focus instead on a quickly scrolling list of timeline identification numbers flitting across the screen. Each number has a word in parentheses next to it:

_ORIGIN TIMELINE: 7559-923P (Human)_

_TIMELINE 1479-628C (Jacket)_

_TIMELINE 1479-628C (Boots)_

_TIMELINE 1479-628C (Bandana)_

_TIMELINE 1479-628C (Whistle)_

_TIMELINE 0805-117A (Gold Tag)_

_TIMELINE 0805-117A (Paper)_

_TIMELINE 4263-010C (Honey Bottle)_

_TIMELINE 4263-010C (Pin)_

_TIMELINE 0022-841A (Scarf)_

The timeline information for the scarf matches Sans’ timeline identification number  The other numbers do not. What does it mean? How did all of the items in your jacket pockets (and the jacket itself) come from other timelines?

“i have a theory,” states Sans, rubbing his chin with one hand while he reads the text on the screen, “but i thought maybe we could discuss it over dinner? i know you were feeling hungry earlier, and i’m wasting away to skin and bones here… well,  _bones_  anyway.” He winks.

Unanswered questions crowd your mind, but your stomach is empty. Decisions, decisions.

**[ Ask about the failed experiments before you do anything else (Learn about Amalgamates) ][ Discuss the theory immediately (Stay in the Lab) ][ Go to dinner with Sans (Leave the Lab) ][ Suggest going to dinner with both skeleton brothers (Join Papyrus at Grillby’s) ]**


	39. Undertale (Part 9)

You continue to peruse the information on the screen, but you have no way to interpret the data except for the obvious information: the jacket and the items in the jacket pockets are from different timelines. If Sans can form a theory from that, then you are definitely ready to hear it, but first… your stomach complains again, louder this time.

First you need to eat!

As much as you can’t stop thinking about a nice hot meal and a solution to your amnesia issue, you also can’t stop thinking about how you skipped out on Papyrus and his puzzles after he offered to protect you from a “murder-y” Undyne.

**[ You suggest meeting up with Papyrus and getting some food in Snowdin. ]**

Sans agrees readily. Apparently, his discovery isn’t the type of classified information that he can’t discuss in front of his brother. Or maybe he plans to make you wait in suspense for the big news until after you’ve eaten? It wouldn’t surprise you.

“you’re in luck, pal. my bro loves to grab a milkshake at Grillby’s after a hard day of testing out his puzzles. if we hurry, he’ll probably still be there. in fact, i know a shortcut.” Sans grins at you and once again you sense something deeper than his usual facial expression. When he holds out his hand, you take it immediately.

Reality shifts around you, and suddenly you’re dropping a few inches into a cushioned seat in the corner booth at what feels like a very familiar establishment. You expect someone to mention that Spider Cider doesn’t contain any real spiders at any moment. Instead, Sans is standing on the seat like a little kid and peering around the softly illuminated restaurant.

You crane your neck to look for the taller skeleton brother just as you assume Sans is doing, but aside from your booth, the restaurant is skeleton-free. There really isn’t anywhere that Papyrus could be hiding either unless the dogs crowded around a large table chewed him up. They look too preoccupied with playing cards and scribbling on sheets of paper to have taken on the Great Papyrus though. You don’t have a chance to observe the establishment’s other occupants because a smartly dressed fire elemental approaches your table, and Sans greets him by name.

“hey, Grillby, you haven’t seen Paps around here, have you? you know he gets cranky if he doesn’t eat his daily human.” Sans winks at you cheekily, and you snort with laughter.

You can’t tell how the fire elemental is speaking with no distinguishable mouth, but the crackle and sigh of his flames forms an answer: “He was here awhile ago, but he left already.” Despite the fact that the fiery bartender doesn’t have any set features (just dancing flames behind wire-rimmed glassed in the basic shape of a face), you swear he’s blushing; his orange and yellow flames have taken on a pink hue at the tips.

“you alright, Grillbs? you look a little  _hot under the collar_ ,” teases Sans.

“I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Grillby says in a rush, flames gaining an even brighter pink color. He deflects the conversation by addressing you directly: “Papyrus did mention meeting a human, but he never said they were so charming.” He leans down and brushes a warm kiss across the back of your hand. “I’ll bring out the daily special for both of you, but it’s going on your tab, Sans… and don’t forget to pay it!”

Grillby quickly steps away back to the kitchen to prepare the meals for you and Sans, leaving you and the skeleton alone at the table. Sans pulls a comb out of his pocket and runs it over the bare and hairless bones of his skull. You suppress a giggle. Sans is clearly the class clown type, but you have important matters to discuss, and none of them involve styling his non-existent hair.

**[ Insist that you should find out where Papyrus is (Get Bonus Chapter now) ][ Discuss the theory after eating (Flirt with Sans) ][ Ask to discuss the theory now (Solve the mystery) ]**

**NOTE:**  If you don’t vote to get the Bonus Chapter now, it will be posted at the end of this round.


	40. Undertale (Part 10)

By the time Sans tucks his comb back into his hoodie pocket, he’s sweating profusely. His eyelights focus on everything except for you. You wonder if his theory involves some bad news and if he’s simply trying to avoid telling you. You only experience an eerie sense of calm though. Good or bad, you just want answers, and if you’re in deadly peril, you’d rather go out on a full stomach, flirting with the skeleton comedian.

**[ You suggest waiting until after you eat to discuss Sans’ theory.]**

Sans agrees and launches into a series of puns to fill the silence while the two fo you wait for your food. You rise to the challenge, matching him pun for pun.

“why did the ninja study the periodic table?” Sans asks rhetorically, setting up a joke that you’ve already heard before.

“He wanted to learn about the  _element of surprise_ ,” you counter, effectively ruining his potential pun. You decide to try out one of your own: “You can’t trust atoms-”

“-because they  _make up_  everything,” the sassy skeleton finishes for you. You narrow your eyes at him, and he narrows his sockets right back.

“You must be made of copper and tellurium because you’re so  _CuTe_ ,” you say, keeping with the science nerd theme.

“well you must be oversaturated with beryllium, gold, and titanium because… you’re…” Sans trails off and a slight blue glow rises on his round cheekbones.

“ _BeAuTiful_?”

“heh, yeah.”

Oh. You’re not sure how to respond to the compliment, but thankfully, Grillby arrives with your food, providing a welcome distraction. The special turns out to be a sizzling hot burger with gooey melted cheese and a large side order of crispy hand-cut fries. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot Sans loosening the top on the red plastic ketchup bottle while you’re busy surveying the food.

You thank Grillby, and he bows before making  himself scarce once more. Predictably, Sans offers you the sabotaged ketchup.

“Grillby makes this ketchup himself, and it goes perfectly with the fries.” You can see a mischievous glint in Sans’ eyelights as he holds the condiment out to you. Two can play at the prank game, however.

“After you,” you counter, gesturing at his own pile of fries. You lock gazes with him as you speak, letting him know that you know he loosened the cap. He has no choice. He tips the ketchup bottle and gives it a squeeze, releasing a flood of the condiment onto his food.

Sans isn’t daunted by the spill though; he grabs a handful of the ketchup-covered fries and shoves them into his mouth, chewing sloppily, opening his mouth between bites for maximum effect. You giggle at his antics. He scoops up a few more sodden fries and waves them in front of your face.

“last chance to try them,” he teases. You chomp the fries, tasting nothing except surprisingly delicious ketchup. You catch Sans staring at you after you swallow the bite.

Hesitantly, he reaches out. “you have some ketchup… right there…” His thumb brushes your cheek, wiping away a tiny speck of ketchup. His hand lingers, cupping your face for a moment longer before he pulls away.

It suddenly dawns on you that his nervousness, his pun earlier, and his actions now might be more than just friendly gestures. “Sans… Are you flirting with me?”

Sans rubs the back of his skull “would you be interested if i was?”

“Well, thanks to my amnesia, I’m not even sure I have a type, but I definitely like you.”

“what a relief. Almost every monster in the Underground knows me by name, but i feel like nobody really knows me, y’know?”

“No.”

Sans barks out a harsh laugh. “and ever since Papyrus outgrew his stripes, we’ve been drifting apart. it’s nice to meet someone who still laughs at my jokes and puns.”

Sans leans in slightly as he speaks, and you find yourself being drawn forward as well. His breath hitches when he realizes how close you are to him, mouths nearly touching over the center of the table. It wouldn’t take much to close that insignificant distance, and the way Sans’ eyelights smolder, you can tell he’s thinking the exact same thing.

“wait,” he breathes, and you can feel the word leaving his mouth and brushing against your lips. You don’t want to wait, but his next words freeze you in place. “first i need to tell you what i discovered.”

**[ You’re finally going to get answers. ]**

_(There is no option to vote this week.)_


	41. Undertale (Finale)

Your burgers cool rapidly, sitting forgotten on the table between you and Sans. You and your skeleton date face each other, mouths nearly touching. You want to kiss him, but he drops a bombshell instead, insisting that he tells you the possible answer to your amnesia before you take things any further than science puns and ketchup-soaked French fries.

**[ Moving away from the abandoned kiss, Sans tells you his theory about your problem. ]**

Leaning back, he closes his sockets for a moment, gathering his thoughts. You push your french fries around your plate, too nervous to eat them. You hope the information is worth cancelling the almost-kiss for, but you also hope it’s not something too serious to fix.

“i know you were focused on the timeline variants when we were in the lab,” Sans says, and you nod your agreement. You didn’t bother looking at any of the other screens because the timeline signatures of your hodge-podge collection of pocket trash distracted you.

“i don’t think you noticed the SOUL trait scan, but i did. you have a really lovely SOUL,” Sans continues. You blush at the very intimate compliment. “you also possess an extremely high amount of Determination.”

“That’s what you scanned me to check for, right? Do you think that the reason for my memory loss might be related to Determination?” Sans hadn’t told you very much about Determination, but he said enough for you to get an inkling of where this conversation is going.

“in the presence of strong ambient magic like we have here in the Underground, humans can learn to harness their Determination and use it to RESET timelines or LOAD timelines from certain important points,” Sans explains.

“I’m not doing this on purpose! I don’t want to forget what happens to me,” you protest.

“i know,” the short skeleton reassures you, “but with your high levels of Determination, i think it’s happening outside of your control. when you kissed my check during Paps’ puzzles, it activated and RESET us to the beginning of the puzzle. a stronger emotional attachment might cause a bigger RESET, one that would take you back farther than your memory could keep up with, causing you to forget what appears to be several different timelines of travel.”

You panic. It could happen at any moment. Any attachment you form with anyone could vanish in an instant, and you wouldn’t even remember enough to miss it.  You start to hyperventilate, and Sans reaches out to gently touch your cheek and calm you. You recoil as if he raised his hand to strike you.

“Can you do anything to stop it?” you ask desperately, terrified that his answer will be no.

“it’s complicated,” Sans hedges. Your face scrunches up in the precursor expression to uncontrolled sobbing, and Sans hurries to continue, “but i think i can fix it.”

“How?” you sniffle, still not able to fully dispel the tears burning your eyes. How can Sans fix an overabundance of Determination, and if he can’t, how can you live your life always worried that you’ll lose everything?

“well, i would have to extract the Determination from your SOUL. i’ve never done it on a living human’s SOUL before, and it may be dangerous. it also might not work. i know how important this is to you, but i’m scared of the risk. i… i really care about you.”

“I want to do this,” you say firmly. “I  _need_  to do this.” Sans tentatively reaches out again, but this time he takes your hand.

“i don’t make a  _skele-TON_  of promises, but i promise that i won’t let anything bad happen to you. if things start going wrong, i’ll stop the procedure, and we’ll figure something else out.”

Sans’ sincere words put you at ease. You’re able to finish your meal with him in pensive silence. Once your food is gone and your plate pushed away, Sans takes your hand and teleports both of you back to the lab.

You fight off trepidation when Sans instructs you to lay on the metal gurney with the stange James Bond laser apparatus over it. You trust Sans. Without so much as a joke or a pun, the short skeleton goes to the control panel and begins painstakingly adjusting the settings. He checks and rechecks his work while you wait with growing anxiety.

“everything is set,” says Sans, walking over to the large extraction mechanism and positioning it carefully over your chest. “scream if it starts to hurt, ok?”

You can’t tell if he’s joking or not, but when he goes back to the control panel and asks you if you’re ready, you give him a thumbs up. He pulls a lever. Nothing happens… at first.

White-hot pain sears your body for a few excruciating seconds before the soothing embrace of darkness pulls you under into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

You groggily surface into wakefulness to see Sans’ worried face hovering over you. Your whole entire body aches, and you want to rub the sore spot on your ribcage that houses your SOUL, but you don’t want Sans to feel guilty for hurting you. You know he didn’t do it on purpose.

“Did it work?” you ask, not bothering to shift your sluggish body into a sitting position if you’re only going to slump over in defeat and disappointment a moment later. Standing is for celebrating.

The too-wide, but entirely genuine smile returns to the skeleton scientist’s face, and you know the procedure was a success. You celebrate by leaping to your feet… or trying to. You lurch upright and stumble a bit before catching your balance. The flurry of activity winds you, so you sit back down on the gurney.

“I still don’t remember anything.” You sigh. It was too much to expect for the Determination removal process to fix everything. At least you wouldn’t accidentally RESET again.

“actually, while you were busy catching some Z’s, i managed to stabilize your Determination level. i also used my timeline portal machine to pinpoint the timelines you’ve visited. i thought that seeing the places you’ve been might jog your memory.” Sans points to a machine in the corner that you never noticed before.

A frame holds whirling blue magic that crackles like lightning. You can see images through the swirling movement, images that seem familiar. Suddenly, the memories come pouring back.

You recognize your home, your bedroom in fact. You remember laying on your back and staring at the ceiling, wishing you could be somewhere else, anywhere else but there.

A tall, gold-fanged skeleton smiles shyly at you from another section of the portal.  _Mutt._  You touch the hem of your jacket, his jacket actually.  _You recall his look of longing after you kissed him, the taste of woodsmoke and spice, and a hunger he refused to let control him._

Another skeleton with angular features and a scar over his left eye watches you from another scene. His brother called him Boss, but you know him as Papyrus, lover of chocolate cereal.  _“NOBODY HAS EVER MET MY STANDARDS BEFORE… I TRUST YOU.”_

The last image contains a smiling skeleton with sweet soft features. You stroke the honey bear in your pocket, which once belonged to him. Stretch, the honey fiend, who drank the sweet treat straight from the bottle and once told you:  _“you’re the only one other than Blue who’s ever been impressed with me before” after claiming to have a PhD in the napping arts._

Emotions overwhelm you, and you feel Sans sliding his arm around your shoulders. How could you forget these moments? How could you leave those skeletons behind? Tears stream down your cheeks at the bitter sweetness of your reclaimed memories.

“you have the power to choose your own path. you have enough Determination left to LOAD one of these timelines,” Sans explains softly, “or… you could stay here with me…”

“What happens to the ones I don’t choose?” you ask, voice barely a whisper.

“since you RESET, it will be as if you were never there at all.”

It’s so very difficult to decide.

**[ Abandon your skeleton dating ways (Return home) ][ Stay with Sans (Do not LOAD) ][ Choose Mutt (Return to Swapfell) ][ Choose Boss (Return to Underfell) ][ Choose Stretch (Return to Underswap) ]**


	42. Finale (Swapfell)

You grab Sans by his hoodie and pull him close against your body. At first, he tenses up, startled by your actions. He relaxes though, showing that he trusts you. As his arms snake around your waist to return the hug, tears stream down your cheeks. You can’t stay, and now you have to tell Sans that you’re leaving him. The words stick painfully in your throat, but you’ve made your decision.

“Thank you, Sans,” you say, voice cracking on a sob. “Thank you for everything, but I can’t stay.” The short skeleton monster nods before you’ve even finished speaking, pushing you gently away. “I left someone behind, and I have to go back.”

“i understand,” he says softly.

“How… how do I go back to him?” Guilt rises in your chest, bringing a fresh wave of tears. You’re asking Sans to help you leave him, to return to the arms of another skeleton.

“just focus on the last moment you can remember. i can tell that you’re determined, so that moment in time should LOAD, no problem.” The explanation is accompanied by Sans’ usual smile, but despite the ear to proverbial ear grin, there’s something unspeakably sad about him.

You close your eyes, unable to meet Sans’ eyelights any longer. Taking a deep breath you bring your restored memories to the forefront of your mind.

**[ You choose to return to Swapfell. ]**

You recall the taste of spice and woodsmoke. You remember how Mutt folded in on himself, shrinking from a tall and lanky skeleton monster into an anxious and unconfident creature that expected rejection. His hungry eyelights burn brightly in your mind, though he never moved to act on his emotions. He was waiting.

He  _is_  waiting.

Waiting for you to say something.

Mutt is right in front of you, his face lit with the soft blue ambient light of Waterfall. He averts his eyelights submissively, giving up any hope of wooing your further. You can’t even gather your thought fast enough to reassure him before he speaks.

“‘m sorry. i misread the situation. i-”

You step forward and crouch next to Mutt, taking his hand in yours and entwining your fleshy fingers with his slender bones. You shush him by pressing your lips to his mouth, right against his golden fang.

You wish you could tell him that you gave up three other universes of monsters and possible romances for him. You wish you could tell him that when given a choice to have the monster you wanted the most, that you’d chosen him. You wish you could tell him how much he means to you, but it seems that the kiss is enough to communicate all of that and more.

Mutt’s arms encircle you, stronger and rougher than Sans’. He grips you with passion and desperation, returning your second kiss with even more fervor than the first. The fact that you didn’t reprimand him or run screaming in the opposite direction comforts him enough to kiss you deeply and with confidence.

When you finally separate from him long enough to catch a breath, you discover that his eyelights have lost none of their fierce intensity, but now they smolder with hope and adoration instead of hunger.

“You’re amazing,” you whisper to him. Mutt actually lifts you off of your feet and twirls you around, squeezing you tightly before setting you back on your feet.

“do.. you mean it..?” he asks hesitantly. He’s so open and vulnerable in this moment that you worry a harsh word could dust him on the spot.

“Of course,” you tell him. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right here, right now, in this moment, with you.”

He wiggles. The tall, dangerous-looking skeleton monster actually wiggles in barely contained joy. You almost giggle at his antics.

“nobody except M’Lord really cares about me,” he admits. “life here is all about manipulation and using others to get ahead. i really like you, darlin’, and i’m glad you feel the same.” His cheekbones blaze with an orange glow as he confesses his feelings to you. “will you… stay with me… with us?”

“I’d love to.”

Mutt’s entire demeanor changes with your acceptance. He gathers the picnic basket, offering you his arm to escort you back into Snowdin Town with a spring in his usually slouchy and nonchalant step. Instead of silence or his quiet drawl, Mutt speaks energetically about his plans for the future.

You’ll be under the protection of the Captain of the Royal Guard and the most feared monster in Snowdin Forest. Mutt has always treated you kindly, so kindly in fact that you never considered his strength or reputation, but apparently no monster will risk his ire to attack someone he cares about.

The shed will be converted from a human prison to a private apartment for you. Mutt will do the manual labor, and his Lord will be in charge of decorating. He gestures animatedly as he describes all of the sights and activities that he has planned for your future. Seeing the sweet skeleton come out of his shell as he prepares to give you a life of luxury only reaffirms that you’ve made the right choice.

For once, you actually look forward to what lies ahead… a life with your loyal and lovable Mutt.


	43. Finale (Undertale)

Sans doesn’t utter a single pun; he doesn’t crack a joke. He just stands there in silence while you stare at the screen, watching the images of the timelines you’ve left behind. Tears stream down your cheeks as you relive your memories of Mutt, Boss, and Stretch. You reach out as if to touch the screen, but at the last moment, you let your arm fall back to your side.

Those moments are passed and gone, the timelines containing them, RESET. There is a skeleton here now who deserves a chance. You can’t bring yourself to leave him behind, not after all he’s done for you. Not with familiar yet somehow new emotions blossoming in your heart for him.

**[ You choose to stay with Sans. ]**

Turning your back to the skeletons depicted on the screen, you step towards Sans. Wiping the tears from your face, you attempt to joke. “Well, I definitely have a type, so what happened in this timeline?”

Sans barks out a relieved laugh. You watch the tension melt from him as he finally realizes that you’re choosing to stay instead of LOADing another timeline. “it’s the hair, isn’t it?” he says, patting the pocket where he hid his comb.

“I can’t resist someone who’s short, bald, and punny,” you tell him, catching his hand and entwining your fingers with his. He gives your hand a grateful squeeze. “Besides,” you tease, “I can’t leave without trying out your brother’s Gauntlet of Deadly Terror.” This time Sans’ laughter is relaxed and natural.

“Paps will be happy you stayed then.” Sans pauses. “i’m happy you stayed,” he whispers, his breath a warm caress on your cheek. Your face heats up with a blush, but you shiver at his closeness.

“You know, Sans, I couldn’t leave without collecting what you owe me either.” You waggle your eyebrows at the skeleton. It turns out you aren’t very good at eyebrow waggles, but Sans is too distracted by your confusing statement to mention it.

“owe you?”

“Your tab with me,” you explain, clarifying nothing.

“i’ll bite,” Sans says. “tell me more about this alleged tab.”

“You owe me a kiss,” you say, tilting your head to the proper angle for debt collection, “and I don’t mind at all if you bite.” You don’t even have a chance for a saucy wink because Sans surges forward with such uncharacteristic speed that you wonder if he used a shortcut, crushing your mouth with his own.

Humming in pure bliss, Sans moves his mouth against your lips until suddenly his tongue is in your mouth, playfully stroking yours. You can almost taste his smile as his hand moves up to cup your cheek. True to his word, he nips your lower lip lightly, causing you to gasp and break the kiss.

You don’t realize that you closed your eyes until you open them to see Sans staring at you, sockets half-lidded, His signature grin has taken on a sultry quality that you find particularly intriguing. “Well?” you prompt him when the silence drags on.

“well, it turns out my theory was correct,” he says, holding you close and nuzzling your neck affectionately.

“Thank goodness you kissed me for science then.” You roll your eyes.

“it’s a well-known fact that successful experiments bear repeating,” suggests Sans, somehow managing to make a kissy face at you despite his lack of lips.

Reality settles in. You kissed Sans, and you’re still here. Nothing has faded away. You remember everything! “I’m really still here!” You shriek in sudden joy. You kiss Sans on the cheeks, on the forehead, and on the mouth again.

“you are definitely here. now how about we get outta here and go back to my house to discuss your future plans for living in the Underground with your science genius skeleton boyfriend?” Sans executes an expert eyebrow waggle without the benefit of actual eyebrows.

“It’s a date!”


	44. Finale (Underfell)

You grab Sans by his hoodie and pull him close against your body. At first, he tenses up, startled by your actions. He relaxes though, showing that he trusts you. As his arms snake around your waist to return the hug, tears stream down your cheeks. You can’t stay, and now you have to tell Sans that you’re leaving him. The words stick painfully in your throat, but you’ve made your decision.

“Thank you, Sans,” you say, voice cracking on a sob. “Thank you for everything, but I can’t stay.” The short skeleton monster nods before you’ve even finished speaking, pushing you gently away. “I left someone behind, and I have to go back.”

“i understand,” he says softly.

“How… how do I go back to him?” Guilt rises in your chest, bringing a fresh wave of tears. You’re asking Sans to help you leave him, to return to the arms of another skeleton.

“just focus on the last moment you can remember. i can tell that you’re determined, so that moment in time should LOAD, no problem.” The explanation is accompanied by Sans’ usual smile, but despite the ear to proverbial ear grin, there’s something unspeakably sad about him.

You close your eyes, unable to meet Sans’ eyelights any longer. Taking a deep breath you bring your restored memories to the forefront of your mind.

**[ You choose to return to Underfell. ]**

Your date with Boss took place outdoors in the crisp, frigid air of Snowdin Town, and your skin tingles in response to the memory unfolding. The weight of exhaustion seeps into your muscles all the way down to your bones. It’s a satisfying sort of exhaustion that only comes from a hard but rewarding workout. Boss just confessed that he trusts you, and admitted that you were his very first kiss, and now…

Boss holds your hand to his mouth, pressing a gentlemanly (gentlemonsterly?) kiss to your delicate and slightly chilled skin. The dark crimson of his eyelights shines with emotions that you’re sure the tough skeleton monster isn’t used to feeling, but there is also a plea in them. Boss is letting you in, leaving himself vulnerable, and you want to give him the affirmation that he so clearly needs.

“I trust you too,” you tell him, and a smile spreads across his handsome face, a smile that you suspect doesn’t get the chance to make an appearance very often. “Besides, you weren’t too forward with me. I kissed you, remember?”

“AH, YES. AN EXCELLENT AND WELL-EXECUTED DATING STRATEGY FROM A WORTHY ADVERSARY,” Boss congratulates you.

“Adversary, huh?” You tease Boss gently, not sure if he’s familiar with this type of playfulness. “I wonder if that could be changed to partner…” You rub your chin with your free hand in mock contemplation.

“I WOULD ALLOW IT,” he huffs, looking haughty. Is he trying to be playful in return?

You move the hand he is holding to the side of his face where you stroke his angular cheekbone. He makes a strange rumbling sound that you don’t recognize at first… until… You realize that the big, scarred skeleton monster is purring! He nuzzles his face against your hand happily. You can’t suppress a giggle. He pulls away.

“AM I NOT SHOWING AFFECTION CORRECTLY? THIS IS HOW OUR CAT DOOMFANGER EXPRESSES HER HAPPINESS.” Boss seems genuinely confused, and you know in your heart that you made the right decision to come back to this timeline.

“It’s  _purr_ -fect.”

Pleased with your answer despite the pun, Boss lays his hand gently on the small of your back and leads you back to his house to get warmed up. His first kiss was a complete success (of course it would be!), and he hopes it is just one of many that he will share with you in the future.


	45. Finale (Underswap)

You grab Sans by his hoodie and pull him close against your body. At first, he tenses up, startled by your actions. He relaxes though, showing that he trusts you. As his arms snake around your waist to return the hug, tears stream down your cheeks. You can’t stay, and now you have to tell Sans that you’re leaving him. The words stick painfully in your throat, but you’ve made your decision.

“Thank you, Sans,” you say, voice cracking on a sob. “Thank you for everything, but I can’t stay.” The short skeleton monster nods before you’ve even finished speaking, pushing you gently away. “I left someone behind, and I have to go back.”

“i understand,” he says softly.

“How… how do I go back to him?” Guilt rises in your chest, bringing a fresh wave of tears. You’re asking Sans to help you leave him, to return to the arms of another skeleton.

“just focus on the last moment you can remember. i can tell that you’re determined, so that moment in time should LOAD, no problem.” The explanation is accompanied by Sans’ usual smile, but despite the ear to proverbial ear grin, there’s something unspeakably sad about him.

You close your eyes, unable to meet Sans’ eyelights any longer. Taking a deep breath you bring your restored memories to the forefront of your mind.

**[ You choose to return to Underswap. ]**

The swell of chattering voices in the background sweeps you back into the memory of your last moments with Stretch. You were at a restaurant, with steam from your spiced Spider Cider wafting up around your faces. Muffet the bartender’s melodic giggles come from somewhere far away, and a bright glowing orange color fills your vision. Is the delicious honey and spice flavor on your tongue from the beverage or from something else? Your eyes slowly close.

You’re kissing Stretch.

You’re kissing Stretch  _right now_.

In fact, the taste of honey and spices from earlier is coming from his tongue… in your mouth… gently stroking yours. Stretch is even making soft little noises of pleasure.You relax into his touch, enjoying the sensation of his warm hand cupping your cheek.

Much too soon, Stretch pulls away. His blush has spread across his entire face and he’s looking down at his Spider Cider in what appears to be… embarrassment? Regret? You certainly aren’t going to let Stretch withdraw back into his shell after such a heartfelt conversation and passionate kiss.

“You’re an amazing, kisser,” you tell him, moving your hand across the table to cover his. He looks up, startled by your praise.

“‘m sure Blue’s a much better kisser than me. he’s just so good at everything he does. i shouldn’t be getting between you two. you deserve the best, not a slacker like me.” Stretch tries to lighten the self deprecating comments with a laugh, but it falls flat, echoing with the bitterness of a life lived in someone else’s shadow.

“If I wanted to be with Blue, I’d be with Blue,” you say firmly. “I chose to come here with  _you_. I chose to kiss  _you_ , and I don’t regret a thing.”

“r-really?”

You smile. “Really. Besides, as nice as it is to date a future Royal Guard, I’ve always had a thing for doctors.” Stretch snorts.

“if you decide to stay here… with us… well, i’ve been looking for a nap arts apprentice.” He glances at you out of the corner of his sockets to gauge your reaction.

“That’s a funny way of saying ‘datemate,’ but I accept. I assume the apprenticeship is paid?”

“not a chance, but you can eat at Muffet’s for free.” Stretch winks.

“The food here isn’t free,” shouts Muffet from the kitchen area. “You just never pay for it!”

“lesson… erm, date one: making a clean getaway.”

Stretch clasps your hands tightly in his own and teleports you away from the restaurant. As the whirlwind of darkness closes around you to sweep you away to a new location, you realize that it doesn’t matter where you end up, as long as you’re there with Stretch.


	46. Undertale (Papby Kiss Bonus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: This is for [sesurescue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kigachan) who spent the entire Dating Event trying to secure a smooch from Classic Papyrus (which never happened) and also loves the Papyrus and Grillby ship.

Papyrus frowns when his brother and the human disappear. In his opinion, teleportation is the laziest form of travel. He glances back at his abandoned X and O puzzle. It’s not going to solve itself, that’s for sure. He could simply use the switches to deactivate the spikes blocking the way, but that’s not his style.

The tall and very lonely skeleton walks through all three versions of the puzzle, turning every blue X into a red O to check that the mechanisms are working because he is thorough of course and not at all because he dreads going back into town alone. He hates going to Grillby’s by himself and seeing all of the real Royal Guards crowded around their table, laughing and playing cards, but a nice cold milkshake would sure hit the spot right about now.

Besides, it beat returning to a dark and empty house….

* * *

Stepping through the door to Grillby’s bar and Restaurant and seeing the Snowdin Royal Guard talking, laughing, and playing cards at their usual table only serves to rekindle the anxiety that Papyrus tries so hard to cover with boisterousness. The group of armored dogs reminds Papyrus of his shortcomings yet again. Not only is he not a Royal Guard, but you chose Sans over his carefully crafted puzzles!

Furthermore, how can the Great Papyrus bring himself to capture a human if the rest of them are even half as charming as you were? Papyrus slumps onto a barstool with a heavy sigh, and Grillby hurries over, sensing his friend’s distress even through Papyrus straightens and plasters a smile back on his face a moment later.

Grillby pulls oven mitts from underneath the counter to cover his hands while he scoops ice cream into a blender. “Hard day?” he asks Papyrus quietly. Very few monsters have heard Grillby speak. He prefers nonverbal communication with almost everyone except for a lucky few, including the skeleton brothers of Snowdin… and especially Papyrus.

Papyrus nods glumly in response to Grillby’s inquiry. Grillby hovers nearby after placing the milkshake in front of the skeleton monster. He has his suspicions about what is bothering Papyrus, but he waits for his friend to speak first, not wanting to bring up uncomfortable topics unless Papyrus truly wants to talk about it.

Papyrus pulls his favorite MTT-brand crazy straw with attached MTT figurine out of his pocket. He would never drink his milkshake with a regular straw, and the normalcy of the action makes Grillby smile.

“EVERYTHING COMES EASILY FOR SANS EVEN THOUGH HE NEVER APPLIES HIMSELF. THAT LAZYBONES GAINS FRIENDS AND STATUS WITHOUT EVEN TRYING,” Papyrus proclaims. “NOT THAT A HERO LIKE MYSELF WOULD EVER FEEL JEALOUS OF HIS OWN BROTHER’S SUCCESS.”

Papyrus pauses to slurp loudly at his milkshake. Grillby nods, encouraging him to continue.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHOULD BE RESPECTED AND ADORED. I SHOULD ALSO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!” Papyrus finishes, blowing dejected bubbles into the melty bits of his milkshake.

“Still nobody willing to criticize your spaghetti?” Grillby asks knowingly, refilling the milkshake glass.

“THOUGH IT SEEMS TO BE AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY (THE ONLY TYPE OF EXERCISE THAT I AM OPPOSED TO!), I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE THE SPAGHETTI AS UNPALATABLE AS POSSIBLE, YET UNDYNE AND SANS EAT EVERY NEW, HORRENDOUS PLATE OF THE ABOMINABLE PASTA WITH A SMILE AND TELL ME HOW DELICIOUS IT IS. I EVEN TRIED PUTTING OLD BANANA PEELS IN IT!”

“I’m glad you brought me some of your spaghetti to taste or you’d still think Undyne’s rather unconventional methods were the correct way to prepare it. Honestly, though, I’ve actually come to quite enjoy our late-night cooking sessions, and those wouldn’t have been possible without her.” Fortunately, as a fire elemental, Grillby’s very nature hides any signs of the blush forming at his admission.

“I CHERISH OUR COOKING LESSONS AS WELL! YOU ACTUALLY TEACH ME THINGS! UNDYNE AND I HAVE FUN DURING OUR TRAINING, DON’T GET ME WRONG. I AM RARELY WRONG, AFTER ALL. I DOUBT ANY OF THOSE RAUCOUS, ROWDY  _RUFF_ IANS HAD TO WORK SO HARD TO BECOME GUARDS. IT’S ALL JUST A  _PUP_ -ULARITY CONTEST.”

Grillby snorts at Papyrus’s clever puns. These complaints are nothing new. Papyrus works so hard with no reward for his efforts. His brother and best friend coddle him, believing they know best, but in reality they themselves cause quite a bit of the hardship in his life. Papyrus always maintains a facade of joviality and self-confidence, but Grillby knows the truth because he actually listens to the skeleton monster. Papyrus wants more from his life. He  _deserves_  more.

“AND THE WORST PART IS THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO PET THEM JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE DOGS!” Papyrus is on a roll now. “DOES EVERYONE THINK SKELETONS DON’T WANT TO BE PET? WE ARE INCREDIBLY SOFT AND HAVE A MARSHMALLOW-ESQUE SQUISHINESS!”

“Well, do you?” asks Grillby. “Want to be pet, I mean…” He shouldn’t ask, but just this one time, Grillby can’t resist.

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus responds eagerly though his SOUL is fluttering in his ribcage under his battle body. Is Grillby really going to pet him, or is the bartender just humoring him?

Holding his breath, Grillby reaches out slowly, unable to believe that he’s actually doing this. Sure, he and Papyrus have touched before, but never in such a deliberately intimate way. Accidental hand touches don’t count, even if Grillby sometimes initiates those on purpose too. The fire elemental lays his hand against Papyrus’s smooth cheekbone and strokes it reverently.

Papyrus leans into the warmth of Grillby’s touch, rubbing his cheek affectionately against the hand petting him. Grillby is naturally hot, yet he still feels the heat emanating from Papyrus’s bones. The smooth bone and the warmth it exudes combine to make Papyrus’s cheek feel very soft and squishable indeed. Surprisingly, Papyrus’s bones rattle gently, and he emits a sound that resembles a purr, flustering Grillby to no end.

Grillby pulls his hand away, blushing furiously beneath his flames, sure he’s gone too far and extremely embarrassed at his own boldness. Papyrus simply narrows his sockets, an idea forming in his mind. He clears his proverbial throat, not sure he should be so reckless… but he is the Great Papyrus, and the Great Papyrus never falters even when he doesn’t have his trusty Dating Manual to assist his flirting.

“SANS EVEN RECEIVED A KISS FROM SOMEONE TODAY! ISN’T THE GREAT PAPYRUS EQUALLY DESERVING OF SMOOCHES? PERHAPS EVEN MORESO!” Papyrus waits expectantly.

Grillby wonders if he has dusted and fallen into some alternate universe where all of his secret daydreams have become a reality. “Of course,” Grillby says, echoing Papyrus’s earlier declaration with the very same flutter in his SOUL.

_Is that a faint orange blush across Papyrus’s cheekbones?_  wonders Grillby, leaning in. It is! Could this mean that Papyrus feels the same way that he does? This is really happening; he is really mere inches away from kissing Papyrus!

Papyrus leans forward to meet him, and Grillby presses his fiery mouth to Papyrus’s teeth which quickly part, deepening the kiss. It appears that fire elementals aren’t the only monsters that can manipulate their magic to form tongues. The skeleton tastes of milkshakes and midnights dotted with millions of twinkling diamond stars. Both monsters close their eyes, letting their surroundings fade away around them and sinking into utter bliss.

Papyrus’s troubles have never been further from his mind, and Grillby’s hopes and dreams have never been closer than in this moment- the first of many in the future stretching out before them.


	47. Swapfell (Swapfell Seduction Bonus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: This last bonus is for [damnedxfate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/damnedxfate/pseuds/damnedxfate) who loved the event but wished it was a bit naughtier. Sorry, but Sans won’t be joining in… this time.  
> CONTAINS: suggestive content

No matter how many times Mutt and his brother Sans insist that danger lurks around every corner in their universe, you never feel unsafe. It may have something to do with the fact that one or both of the skeleton brothers escort you everywhere you go. Even visits to Muffet’s bar are carefully supervised by the Spider Queen and Spymaster herself. The threats of this universe can’t touch you with your ever-vigilant protectors.

The truth of the danger doesn’t hit home until Mutt returns to the house in Snowdin one day with an overstuffed cuddle chair in tow. Apparently, he scavenged the treasure from the Dump, and he presents it to you proudly as a way for you to curl up with him in the evenings. Your joy at seeing the new piece of furniture is overshadowed by horror at the sight of injuries all over Mutt’s body.

The skeleton brothers frequently come home with minor scrapes and bruises darkening their bones. Mutt and Sans both bear scars on their faces; Mutt even has a replacement gold tooth! This time, though, Mutt looks like he’s been in a serious fight. He’s cradling one arm to his side and a growing red stain tells you that it’s probably broken. Deep scratches and cuts weep marrow on his face, and one of his eyes has been blackened.

Sans dashes breathlessly into the house.  _Finally,_  you think,  _someone to lecture some sense into Mutt!_

“YOU GOT IT!” Sans howls in triumph. “I KNEW YOU’D GET IT!”

“of course, m’Lord,” Mutt responds humbly. “those other monsters didn’t stand a chance.”

Your jaw drops. Neither one of the skeletons seems to notice that Mutt has a broken arm; they’re too busy gloating over their prize with shit-eating grins on their faces, obviously proud of winning a life-or-death Dumpster scuffle for a chair, blind to the cost that Mutt paid in blood for the piece of furniture. All that matters to them is the victory, the prize.

You scold them both long into the night while Sans tends to Mutt’s wounds, but you can’t stay mad at them. It  _is_  a very comfortable cuddle chair.

* * *

It’s late, and Sans is busy doing evening drills with the Snowdin Royal Guard. You’ve got Mutt all to yourself for the night, and the cuddle chair is living up to its moniker. The credits roll for the movie you and Mutt just finished watching. You are warm, comfortable, and feeling particularly amorous towards your skeleton boyfriend in the absence of distractions and company.

You stare longingly up at Mutt until his oh so sexy mouth curls into a sensual, teasing grin. “darlin’?” He drawls the endearment like a question, the warmth of his breath tickling your lips. He’s so close to you. He nuzzles you, letting the tension build as he trails kisses along your jaw before lightly nibbling your lips. He always drives you the best kind of crazy.

You inhale, readying a protest against his wiles, but suddenly his mouth is pressed to yours. You forget what you intended to say. You forget how to speak. What use are words anyway? Mutt’s kisses never fail to leave you breathless and craving more. Before long, you shift so that you’re straddling him, tasting his tongue as it explores your mouth, feeling the delicious scrape of his sharp teeth on your bottom lip.

Mutt is always careful not to draw blood though. He’s a powerful and ferocious monster, but he always handles you delicately as if he’s constantly afraid of hurting you. Moaning softly into the kiss, you start to grind yourself against him. You can feel the electric tingle of his magic gathering in his pelvis, a similar sensation to the one you experience when his tongue touches yours.

Mutt stiffens, breaking the kiss. You should have known this would happen. The lanky skeleton wears the same haunted expression that always appears when things start to get hot and heavy between the two of you. He pushes you away with a light touch, just enough to put a small distance between your bodies though you’re still on his lap.

Deep orange eyelights averted, Mutt mumbles something that sounds like “we shouldn’t,” but you can’t stand his withdrawal, not again, not this time.

“And why not?” you demand. He wants you. You want him. What could possibly be stopping him?

“this is a dangerous world darlin’,” he explains earnestly, “and the only way to survive is to be a bigger threat than everyone else. m’Lord n’ i grew up as killers. it’s instinct to fight now. i’d never forgive myself if i hurt you. i’m just so scared of losing control…” Mutt’s eyelights smolder with sincerity. It’s never been enough to tell him that you trust him. He doesn’t trust  _himself_.

You shove Mutt back into the plush chair cushions roughly, and he can only blink at you in surprise. You grin wickedly at him. “What if  _I’m_  the one in control?” you suggest. Mutt groans as you restrain him with a hand on his chest, resuming the grinding motion while your other hand drifts down to unfasten his pants.

* * *

Muted sounds of pleasure stop Sans’s hand at the doorknob. Obviously you and his brother have decided to take your relationship to the next level. 

Mutt used to be quiet and withdrawn before he met you, alone and shivering in the Snowdin Forest. How many times had Sans gone to Muffet’s to collect his plastered brother from where he passed out at the bar? Not once, since you arrived. Mutt is actually… happy now. Fulfilled. It’s all Sans ever wanted for his brother.

Sans smiles to himself. Bright futures can be hard to come by in their world, so he supposes it won’t hurt to go over his traps one more time to give you and Mutt some privacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last bit of bonus content for the Undertale Interactive Dating Event. Thank you to everyone who participated or even simply read along and enjoyed the story!


End file.
